Spring of Drowned Nymph
by wolfdude16
Summary: Instead of falling into the Spring of Drowned Girl, Ranma falls into the spring of a certain scarf-wearing Nymph. Meanwhile, the goddess of nature has had enough of humanity's neglect for the environment. Can Ranma get her to stop before she starts a war with humanity?
1. A Flash of Lightning

Hello. This is Wolfdude16 with a special news update. This is a crossover between Ranma and Kid Icarus! This is special news for me because there are currently no crossovers between these two subjects. I am a huge fan of Ranma, and I've been watching a lot of Kid Icarus videos on Youtube lately. So, once I saw the lack of crossovers between them, I decided to make one of my own.

This story takes place in present day-ish time, About two-thousand years after the end of Kid Icarus Uprising.

Read, review, and have fun!

Disclaimer: Don't own Ranma or Kid Icarus. (Wish I did though)

Spring of drowned Nymph

Chapter One: A Flash of Lightning

It was a dark and stormy evening in Nerima. The kind of storm that makes you think something bad is going to happen soon. But who can say really? Everything seemed peaceful enough despite the storm. Yes, everything was perfectly fine here in Nerima. Except of course for that one street. That one street that was mostly empty except for two very peculiar figures.

One figure was a young girl, only about sixteen years old. Her short blonde hair didn't even reach her shoulders, the tips were a bit orange in color. She wore a short-sleeved red Chinese shirt and black kung fu pants. There were thin, light green vines coming out of her shirt that curled around her arms and stopped at her wrists, giving them the appearance of bracelets. She was also wearing a long blue scarf around her neck. She was carrying a large traveling pack on her back that didn't seem to hinder her movement in the slightest. She had a look on her face that was somewhere between annoyance and anger.

The other figure was much easier to describe. He was a big fat panda. Strangely enough, he was also wearing a large backpack.

Now, in most circumstances, a person would run away in fear at the sight of a large bear, but this was different. The panda was running away from the girl. The panda was moving far faster than any normal human being possibly could, despite his great size. But no matter how fast he ran, the girl still stayed right behind him.

"You've really ticked me off this time pops." The girl said as she ran. "How could you go and pick a fiancé for me without even asking? If I ever get married, I'd like it to be with someone I actually know!" Her speed suddenly increased enough to pass the panda and cut off his path. An evil grin crossed her cute face. "What's the matter? Afraid of a little girl? You know I wouldn't be like this if it weren't for you."

The panda backtracked a bit and ran into an alley, the girl following closely behind him. The two ran out of the alleyway and into a slightly crowded street. The people around them immediately stopped what they were doing and watched the scene with wide eyes. Once again, the girl jumps in front of the panda. "You're not running away this time old man!"

The panda let out some angry growls and tried to strike the blonde girl with his claws. The attacks were far more swift and precise than anyone would expect from a panda. Even so, not one of the hits connected. What happened next surprised everyone even more than they already were. A bolt of lightning came down from the skies and struck the girl directly.

Nobody believed what they were seeing. Not only was the girl unharmed from being struck by lightning, the electricity seemed to cling to her body like a cloak. The static made her scarf levitate around her mysteriously. The panda immediately backed away from her. "Maybe next time you'll think twice about engaging me to some girl I've never even met before!" She leaped into the air and struck the panda in the face with an electrified kick. The panda fell to the ground, motionless.

Satisfied that her prey was down, the girl turned around and walked away, the electricity around her fading away as she did so. Unfortunately for her, the panda was still conscious. Once he was sure the girl wasn't looking, he quietly stood up. His whole body felt numb from the electrical attack, but he still found the strength to tear a stop sign out of the ground and smack the girl in the back of the head with it. She fell to the ground, unconscious. The panda stuck the sign into the ground, picked the girl up, and walked away.

Everyone watching silently agreed it was one big hallucination and went back to their business.

(At the Tendo Dojo)

"Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane! Come quickly, I have some very important news to share with you three!" Came the voice of Soun Tendo, head of the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Before long, all three of his daughters were assembled in the dining room.

"Alright Daddy, we're here. Now what's this 'big news' you want to tell us about?" Nabiki Tendo, the middle sister, asked. "It'd better be important. I was finishing up my homework."

"Yeah, and you interrupted my workout." Complained Akane, the youngest sister.

"I wanted to talk to you about this." He held up a postcard with a picture of a panda eating bamboo on it.

Nabiki took the postcard and read it aloud. "I'm bringing Ranma back from China. See you soon, Genma. Who exactly are these people?"

Soun cleared his throat and then began his tale. "Well, you see, Genma is an old training partner of mine. He is also a practitioner of his own school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. The two of us have been through many hard times together for the sake of the art. When I met your mother, I decided to settle down while Genma continued his journey. Before we parted ways, we made a promise. We promised that if we ever had children of the opposite gender, then we would join the schools through an arranged marriage between them."

"So then, Ranma is his son?" Asked Kasumi, the oldest child.

Akane suddenly slammed her hands on the table. "Wait just a minute! Are you saying one of us has to marry this Ranma guy? We've never even met him! How do we know he isn't just another pervert like the boys from school?"

Nabiki leaned toward her angered little sister. "Don't be so judgmental Akane. You never know, he could be really cute." _'Or rich.'_ She added in her head as she calculated the amount of money she could get from this.

Kasumi spoke up again. "So, Father, just what is this Ranma boy like?"

"Is he handsome?" Asked Nabiki?

"I hope he's older then me." Kasumi commented absently.

Their father chuckled nervously before answering. "I don't know."

Silence

"You don't know?" Nabiki repeated with a half-lidded stare.

"I've never met him."

More silence

Anymore thoughts about how much of an idiot their father was were cut off by some noise at the front door. "Ooh. That must be Ranma!" Nabiki said.

"Saotome, my friend! We've been waiting!" Soun and Nabiki ran towards the front door to meet their guests.

Kasumi and Akane walked out into the hall to follow them, but they didn't make it anywhere close to the door before their two family members came running back. Following closely behind them was a very large…panda? The animal was carrying a person over his shoulder. He shook the person a few times to get her to wake up.

Before the girl gained full awareness of her soundings, the panda placed her down in a standing position. She shook her head and blinked a few times to get the grogginess out of her head. Once she regained her senses, she realized that four people were staring at her curiously, one man in his mid-forties and three girls in their mid-to-late teens.

She backed away nervously, but the panda nudged her forward. _'Pops is so going to pay for this.'_ She thought. "Um…hi there."

The man pointed at her with shaking hands. "Y-you wouldn't be…"

"My name's Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."

"Wow, he's pretty cute." Nabiki commented.

Before anyone else could react, Soun grabbed the blonde girl in a big bear hug. "My son! I'm so glad you've arrived!" He paused in his hug when he felt something round and soft in-between him and the 'boy'. He backed off to take a better look at his guest.

Nabiki leaned forward to inspect their scarf-wearing guest. She stared at the chest area inparticular, even going as far as poking it a few times to make sure.

"Um…could you stop that please?"

Nabiki turned back towards her father. "Ranma's not a boy! 'He' is a girl!"

Soun stared at the girl in shock. "A g-g-girl?" He promptly passed out after muttering this.

(A few minutes later)

Soun slowly woke up to the sound of his eldest daughter. "Poor father, he doesn't seem to be taking this very well."

"He's not the only one!" Nabiki responded angrily. "Some fiancé. Last time I checked, men don't have breasts." She grabbed Ranma's chest for emphasis.

"You know, I'd really appreciate it if you stopped doing that."

"Cut it out Nabiki! He-she is our guest." Akane scolded. She turned away from her sister and looked at Ranma. "I'm going back to the dojo. Wanna come?"

"Okay."

"By the way, my name's Akane. Would you like to be friends?"

Ranma looked unsure, but she eventually smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'd like that."

(In the dojo)

Akane led Ranma into her family's dojo. "You practice martial arts, right?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Well, why don't we have a little match then?"

"Um, I'm not sure if that'd be a very good idea."

Akane remained oblivious to the worried tone in her new friend's voice. "Come on, it'll be fun. I promise I won't hurt you."

"Well, I guess it'd be fine if it's just one match."

"Alright then. Let's get started." She took a stance across from Ranma. The blonde girl just stood there with her hands at her sides. "Well? Aren't going to get ready?"

"I am ready." She replied simply.

"Alright. Just don't blame me if you get hurt." She charged at Ranma and gave a weak punch to test her.

She leaned to the right, easily avoiding the weak punch._ 'She's pretty fast, but I'm just getting started myself!'_ She threw another punch, then another, and another, increasing her speed and power until she was just swinging wildly.

Akane lunged forward to strike Ranma in the face, but she effortlessly stepped back. Akane lost her balance and fell forward. She hit the ground with a thud. Ranma looked down at her. "You're pretty clumsy, you know that?"

Akane got up and glared at the girl. "You don't have to point it out so bluntly you know!"

Ranma's eyes widened slightly when she realized what she said. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. Sometimes I get carried away and say things that I don't mean. I didn't offend you or anything, did I?"

The blue-haired girl's face softened. "No it's alright, but I want you to know something."

Ranma leaned forward. "What is it?"

A smirk crossed Akane's face. "Got you!" She struck out with her fist for a surprise attack, but instead of hitting the girl, she hit the wooden wall of the dojo.

She felt a light finger poke the back of her head. "Nope, I've got you.""

Akane turned around to find the blonde girl standing behind her with a playful smirk on her face.

The Tendo girl giggled a bit. "I guess you did." She paused a moment before continuing. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why do you wear those?" She pointed at the thin vines around Ranma's arms.

"These? I don't really know. They're just decoration."

"I like it. They definitely add to your colorful appearance."

"Yeah, I guess so." She responded. She didn't sound very certain about her 'colorful' look, but once again, Akane didn't notice.

"That was a fun match. I'm glad that you're a girl."

"What do you mean?" She asked with even more uncertainty.

"It's just, I'd really hate to lose to a guy is all."

(A few minutes later)

Ranma followed Kasumi up the stairs. The eldest Tendo girl led her to a spare guest room. "Here Ranma, you can sleep in here while you stay here."

"Thanks, this'll be fine."

Kasumi handed her a towel. "Here, you should take a bath. You must be all sweaty from your workout."

"No, not really." Ranma wasn't very sweaty at all from her sparring match, but she just couldn't turn down Kasumi's motherly tone, so she took the towel and headed towards the bathroom.

Once inside the changing room, she hesitantly removed her Chinese clothes and put them in the laundry basket. Her lack of clothing revealed that the vines around her arms connected below her chest and curled around her lower body to wrap around her right leg. With a snap of her fingers, the vines disappeared. She removed the scarf and stepped into the bathing area.

(In Akane's room)

Akane looked up from the homework she was doing to see Nabiki stick her head into the room. "Hey Akane, Kasumi said you can take a bath now."

Akane smiled at her sister. "Thanks. I'll do that." She stood up and walked downstairs. She collected her towel and spare clothes before she headed to the bathroom. When she stepped into the changing room, she noticed Ranma's clothes in the basket. "Guess we can take our baths together." She didn't take notice of the fact that the blonde girl's scarf wasn't among the clothes.

She opened the door to the bathing area and walked in. "Hey Ranma, I-" She immediately stopped her sentence when she noticed that the person in the furo was not the short blonde girl she had met earlier, but a teenage boy with his black hair in a pigtail. He had been about to get out of the bathtub, but stopped when he saw her walk in, giving her a clear view of his broad, muscled chest.

Without a word, Akane stepped back into the changing room, put her martial arts gi back on, and stepped into the hall. She took a deep breath, and screamed.

She continued screaming as she ran into the dining room. She picked up the dining table and held it over her head. "I'll drown him in the bathtub!"

Nabiki walked into the room and stared at her enraged sister. "What's wrong Akane?"

"There's a pervert in the bathroom!"

"Oh my. I thought Ranma was taking a bath in there. I hope she's alright." Kasumi said in concern.

They were interrupted by a male voice. "Hey there." The three girls looked behind them to see the boy from the furo. He was wearing Ranma's outfit, minus the scarf and vines. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."

(Two minutes later)

The Tendo girls were sitting across the table from their father, an old bald man wearing glasses, and the boy who claims to be Ranma. Akane was glaring daggers at the pigtailed boy, the other two just looked on expectantly.

"Let's start over shall we?" Their father said. He gestured towards the bald man. "This is my old training partner."

"Genma Saotome." The man said. "And this is my son…"

"Ranma." He said.

Kasumi asked the question on everyone's minds. "Are you really her, that girl from before?"

The boy nodded his head. Genma spoke up in a sage-like voice. "It's a long story, where to begin? I think I should start with this." He grabbed Ranma by the front of his shirt and threw him into the Koi pond in the yard. Instead of a black-haired boy with a pigtail popping out, the short-haired blonde girl from earlier popped out. She was wearing the scarf and vines from earlier as well.

The girl cast an annoyed look at Genma, like she was angry but didn't feel like dealing with it right now. She stepped out of the pond and back into the dining room. "You're really pushing your luck pops, you're lucky I don't like fighting much when I'm like this." She sat down with a huff, but didn't make any attempt to get back at her father.

The Tendo girls stared at her in shock. Their father spoke up again. "It was training in china that did this to them. Would you care to tell the story Saotome?"

The bald man nodded his head. "Very well. You see, it all started while me and Ranma were hiking in china, searching for a legendary training ground…"

(Flashback)

Ranma and Genma looked out onto the sight before them. In front of them were dozens upon dozens of small pools of water. Each one had several bamboo poles sticking out of them. All in all, it was a pretty beautiful sight, but the two martial artists didn't come there for the scenery.

As they stepped closer to their destination, a portly Chinese man walked up to them. "Nihao honored customers, this be ancient training grounds, Jusenkyo. There more than one hundred springs here, each one have own tragedy happen there. Not many people use it these days because of how dangerous they are."

Ranma just snorted. "Please, this place doesn't look all that bad."

Genma tossed his traveling pack to the ground. "Are you ready to put your skills to the test Ranma?"

Ranma put his pack down as well. "If I wanted to put my skills to the test, I'd do it with someone better than you."

"Don't get cocky boy! You haven't surpassed me yet, now come on!" He jumped on top of one of the poles, Ranma followed closely behind. Before long, the two were trading blows with each other while keeping their footing on the bamboo.

The Jusenkyo guide was shouting frantically. "Wait Sirs! I no finish my tragic story! Please, very bad you fall in spring!"

Unfortunately, the two were too focused on their battle to pay much attention him. Just then, Ranma got in a lucky strike to his dad's torso, knocking him down into one of the springs below. Ranma looked down at the spring, waiting for his dad to pop out. "Come on Pops, don't tell me we're done already." A large figure leaped out of the water, but instead of his father, a big panda came out and landed on one of the poles. "Ack! What is that thing?" He asked the guide.

"That be Spring of drowned panda. Very tragic story of panda that drown there one-thousand eight hundred year ago. Now, whoever fall in spring, take body of panda." Was his calm response, it was clear by his tone that this wasn't the first time it had happened.

"Hey buddy, you didn't tell us anything about that!" Any more complaints were cut off by his panda father, who used the distraction to knock his son off the bamboo and into another spring.

Ranma felt his body change the moment he hit the water. He became slightly smaller and he felt his long hair shorten to above his shoulders. He could see his bangs change color right in front of his eyes. He felt a piece of fabric suddenly wrap around his neck and some sort of plant wrapping around his right leg and moving up around his body until it split apart and wrapped around his arms.

But what he really noticed wasn't what was happening on the outside, but what was happening on the inside. He felt power. Power like nothing he had ever felt. He felt jolts of electricity surge throughout his body. It felt like a ridiculously high sugar rush.

When he finally popped his head out of the water, he heard the guide speak. "Aiya! That one very special spring you fall in young sir. That be spring of drowned Nymph. Very tragic tale of a Nymph who drowned their one-thousand five hundred year ago."

Ranma looked at him curiously. "What the hell is a Nymph?" She immediately clasped her hand over her mouth at the sound of her own high-pitched voice. He had turned into a girl! _'This is terrible! Just wait until I get my hands on Pops. I'll…I'll…'_

"Nymph is a female nature spirit with great divine power. This one's power revolve around lightning. You very lucky sir, most man who fall in that spring die."

Ranma was shocked out of her thoughts by the news that she could've easily died from falling in that spring. That shock turned to anger, anger at the person who had nearly killed her. "Pops…You are so going to pay for this!"

(End Flashback)

Genma was sent flying into the pond by a kick from Ranma.

"I thought you said you didn't like to fight?" Nabiki asked. She looked towards the pond to see a panda pop out of the water. That definitely confirmed the story.

Ranma put her arms behind her head carelessly. "He had it coming, and besides, it's not like I'm a pacifist or anything, I usually just can't bring myself to care."

"Are there any differences between your forms beside your body?" Kasumi asked curiously.

"Well, my personality is a little different. I'm a lot more carefree when I'm like this."

The panda held up a wooden sign with writing on it. [You're also a lot more stuck up!] He was silenced by a powerful jolt of lightning striking the pond. Genma was roasted, but miraculously, the fish were unharmed. Ranma smiled at her successful attack and sat back down at the table.

If the Tendo girls had any doubts about the story before, they certainly didn't now. "That was amazing!" Kasumi exclaimed. "Can you do anything else?"

"Well, I can purify water and make plants grow. Nature related stuff like that."

"Impressive." Nabiki said._ 'Just imagine how much money abilities like that will get me.'_

Genma walked back into the room with a kettle of water in his paws. He poured it over himself and he instantly became human again. "As you can see, cold water will activate our curses, but hot water will return us to normal until we touch cold water again."

Soun put a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Well now, your problem isn't so bad after all." He gestured toward his daughters. "These are my daughters. Akane, age sixteen, Nabiki, age seventeen, and Kasumi, age nineteen. Choose whichever one you want to be your wife."

"I think Akane would be the best choice." Said Kasumi.

"I agree completely." Nabiki added.

At this moment, Akane finally snapped. "Now hold on a moment! There's no way I'm marrying that pervert!"

"Just who are you calling a pervert?"

"You saw me naked you perv!"

"Well excuuuse me. Geez, it was just an accident. You don't have to get all bent out of shape over it y'know." She replied nonchalantly.

"See what I mean by stuck up?" Genma asked. He received another jolt of electricity.

"Give me one good reason why I should marry this, this freak!" Akane nearly shouted.

"Because, you hate boys don't you little sis?" Nabiki asked in a cool voice.

"You're in luck, Ranma's half girl." Kasumi said. "Not just a girl, but a nymph too. I've read a lot of stories with nymphs in them. They're said to be only a few steps below gods.."

"I'm not sure if I'm THAT powerful." Ranma said sheepishly. "I mean, my nymph form is a lot more powerful than my normal body. Even when I'm not all charged up, my girl side might be more powerful than my guy side."

"I don't care how tough he is! Just because I hate boys doesn't mean I'll marry him because he turns into a girl! It's perverted!"

"There must be a cure for these curses." Soun said. "Surely there must be a spring of drowned man. Wouldn't that work?"

Ranma shook her head. "No, the guide said the curses mix if you touch more than one spring, and either way, he said it might not even work because I turn into an immortal creature, something about my divine power counteracting the curse, or something like that. Believe me, if I knew about a cure, I would've turned into a bolt of lightning and headed back to china a long time ago."

Akane crossed her arms. "Yeah right! I bet if there was a cure, you turn it down just so you could keep that body you pervert."

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Everything is 'pervert this' and 'pervert that' with you isn't it? I think you're just jealous because I was born a guy and I'm still a better looking girl than you are."

That did it. Akane picked up the dining table again and swung it down on Ranma's head. The Nymph was knocked unconscious for the second time that day.

Kasumi clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my! That wasn't very nice at all Akane."

Genma crossed his arms. "The boy had it coming."

(Half an hour later)

Ranma opened her eyes and immediately clutched the back of her head in pain. "Ooh my head. Was hitting me with a table really necessary?"

""He's awake." Came Nabiki's voice.

"Are you feeling okay Ranma?" Asked Kasumi.

Ranma was laying on a futon with a wet cloth on her head. She sat up and nodded. "Yeah, I'll walk it off. What is her problem anyway?"

"Well, Akane is a very…'high-spirited' girl." Kasumi explained.

"Yeah sis, like that explains everything."

"Let's just say she has a low opinion of boys, and hearing a boy mock her like that put her over the edge. You really didn't have to go on and insult her you know."

Ranma looked down in shame. "Sorry, I have a tendency to speak without thinking, especially in this form. I've been trying to keep it under control, but sometimes I just get carried away."

Kasumi looked at her sympathetically. "It's okay, I'll have a talk with Akane, we'll get this resolved, so don't worry to much about it."

"Thanks Kasumi." She got up and left the room after that. She went upstairs to the guest room that she would be staying in. _'Stupid Pops, thanks to him throwing me into the pond, I have to take another bath. Hope the others don't mind.'_ She grabbed a set of spare clothes and headed back downstairs.

She stepped into the changing room and undressed again. Once again, she snapped her fingers and the vines on her body disappeared. She walked up to the door of the bathing area and opened it. Unfortunately for her, someone from the other side opened it at the same time she did. Even more unfortunately for, that someone happened to be Akane.

Ranma froze up as she tried to think of what to say. "Um…I-I'm sor-"

*Slap!*

Ranma felt the spot where Akane had slapped her. The blue-haired girl got dressed and left without a word.

Ranma silently took her bath and changed back to his human form. Once he was done bathing, he sat down in the living room and told his father what happened. His simply reply was, "So, she's got spunk, that makes her even cuter."

"There's a word for what she is Pops, but 'cute' is definitely not it."

Up in Akane's room, the youngest Tendo told her sisters what happened.

"But you were both girls at the time, so it's alright." Was Nabiki's reply.

"Alright? He walked in on me this time, so there's no excuse. And besides, you're not the one who has to marry that pervert!"

Kasumi looked her youngest sister in the eyes. "Akane, I'm sure it was just an accident. You didn't put the 'Occupied' sign up did you?"

Akane stuttered a bit. "Well, no, b-but he-"

"I know you're not used to putting the sign up since we haven't had guests in so long, but just remember to do it from now on and I'm sure this incident won't repeat itself."

Akane huffed. "Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm forgiving him for being such a jerk!"

Kasumi clasped both of her hands around Akane's. "Listen Akane, I know you're upset about what Ranma said to you, but try not to let it bother you. He has a hard time controlling himself when he's a nymph."

Ranma's words from earlier suddenly crossed Akane's mind. _'Oh, I-I'm sorry. Sometimes I get carried away and say things that I don't mean. I didn't offend you or anything, did I?'_ "Well, I guess, but…"

"Just try to be nicer around Ranma from now on, okay? Try not to let the things he says bother you."

Akane couldn't find the will to stand up against her sister any longer. "Okay Kasumi, I'll try. As long as he doesn't go too far."

Kasumi nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you Akane."

End of Chapter

I hope you all enjoyed chapter one. In case it wasn't obvious enough, Ranma's cursed form is Phosphora from KI Uprising. I'll be going along with the Ranma 1/2 plot line for a few more chapters before I introduce more Kid Icarus characters, so you have something to look forward to. Please review and I'll eventually post chapter 2!


	2. Off to a Rough Start

Hello and good day to you all! Thanks to all of you who are still reading this. I'll do my best to keep up the good work.

Like I said in the last chapter, It's going to take a few chapters, but this story WILL diverge from the usual Ranma 1/2 plot. Until then, just be patient.

Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff bla bla bla start the chapter!

Spring of Drowned Nymph

Chapter Two: Off to a Rough Start

Akane awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. She slowly got up to turn it off. Once that was done, she got started on her daily routine for getting ready for school. When she finished taking her bath and getting dressed, she sat down at the dining table to await breakfast. Her attention was drawn to some noise coming from the yard.

The noise was coming from the sparring match of their two house guests. She watched on in mild fascination as Ranma and his father traded blows, neither gaining the upper hand on the other. Nabiki sat down next to her younger sister. "They're pretty good aren't they?"

Akane tore her eyes away from the match and pretended to be uninterested. "Please, I bet I could take them with one arm tied behind my back!" She declared proudly.

"Oh really? But didn't Ranma beat you yesterday without a problem?" She asked with a knowing smirk on her face.

"That was different! He was a nymph back then. He admitted himself that his nymph form is stronger than his normal form, which means he cheated in our spar!"

Both girls heard a shout from the yard. "Hey! For your information, I went easy on you, so don't go acting like you could take me in a fight!"

"Concentrate boy!" His father scolded.

The two returned to their morning spar until Kasumi came out of the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready! Come on in you two!"

Genma called back. "Thank you Kasumi! We'll be there just a minu-ack!" Ranma used the distraction to knock his dad into the Koi pond.

"Look who's telling who to concentrate!" He taunted.

His taunting ended when he was knocked into the pond by his panda father with a wooden sign that read: [Stop being so arrogant!]

Ranma popped her blonde head out of the pond. "Whatever Pops. I'm getting breakfast." She levitated out of the spring and onto solid ground. She released an electric charge that instantly evaporated the water on her. She took a seat at the table next to Akane and started digging into her food.

Genma walked into the room and took a seat across from his son. Kasumi came out of the kitchen with a kettle of hot water and offered it to the panda. Once he was back to human form, he handed the kettle to his son-turned-immortal daughter. "Boy, I want you to know that you'll be going to school today."

Ranma changed back to his male form and looked at his dad curiously. "Hm? How come?"

"Well, for one thing, no responsible son of mine is going to sit around the house all day while his fiancé is at school. Got that?"

"Fine, whatever." was his response.

Nabiki finished the last bites of her breakfast and stood up. "You'll be going to the same school as Akane and me. I have some business to take care of, so I'm going early."

Akane stood up. "Wait! I'll go with you!"

"Then who's going to show Ranma the way huh? He's YOUR fiancé, so you can take him."

"But…but…"

"She has a point Akane." Said Kasumi. "You should take Ranma. It'll be a good chance for you two to get to know each other."

"The blunette crossed her arms. "Fine."

Once Ranma was all packed and ready to go, him and Akane said their farewells and started walking to school. The path they took was right next to a canal. Rather than walking on the ground like a normal person, Ranma chose to walk on the fence instead. "What are you doing?"

"Balance training." He replied simply.

"I'm not going to marry you. I hope you know that."

"I know. Besides, why would I want to marry a macho-chick like you anyway?"

Before Akane had a chance to pulverize him, Genma came running along the fence and smacked his son in the back of the head. "Foolish boy! You're in no position to be picky with woman! You should be grateful to have a high-spirited fiancé like Akane and-" He was cut off when Ranma tripped him, causing him to fall into the canal. The usual panda leaped out of the water and started swinging at his pigtailed child, who dodged while balancing on the fence.

"Heh. Can't catch me Pops." He perfectly jumped off the fence and perfectly landed on the ground…where he was perfectly splashed by an old lady emptying a bucket of water on the street. "Peachy. Just peachy." She sent a death glare at the panda, who ran off to avoid the pissed off immortal. "Now I need more hot water, but I don't want anyone at school to see me like this."

"Follow me. I know where to get some water. It's a little out of the way, but we should still make it to class on time if we hurry." Akane lead the nymph to a local clinic. There didn't seem to be anyone there at the moment, so they let themselves in. Akane assured Ranma that the doctor that worked there was a friend and that he wouldn't mind. "You stay here, I'll get the water."

Ranma stood impatiently next to the open door and waited for the water. Suddenly, she felt a light weight on her shoulder. She turned around to see a skull only a few inched away from her face. "ACK!" She instinctively grabbed onto the top of the open door.

"I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" Asked a kind voice. The voice belonged to a young man wearing a pair of glasses and holding a skeleton model in his hands. "My name is Doctor Tofu, and this is my skeleton Betty."

"Please…never do that again." It took nearly all of Ranma's willpower to keep her electricity under control when he snuck up on her. She was now using what was left of her will to keep her heart rate under control. She was about to get down from the door when misfortune struck again.

"Ranma, I've got the water!" Akane shoved the door out of her way, effectively shoving Ranma out as well. She didn't take notice in this however, as she was distracted by the sight of Dr Tofu. "Oh! Doctor! H-how've you been lately?"

"Akane! I've been doing fine. I haven't seen you in awhile. No new injuries?" He asked in a slightly teasing but kind tone.

"No! I mean, I wouldn't do anything that would get me injured or anything." She said nervously.

From the other side of the door, Ranma was listening intently. "Interesting."

After the brief meeting, Akane gave Ranma the water and they both ran down the streets to get to school before the bell. As they ran, Ranma asked one of the less personal questions on his mind. "So, that guy's a martial artist right?"

Akane nodded. "How could you tell?"

"He snuck up on me with no trouble at all, and as a nymph, I'm usually able to sense the living things around me. He completely hid his presence."

"It's true, he's a great martial artist, and a wonderful doctor too. He would treat my injuries when I was younger."

"What's up? I thought you hated men."

The gates of Furinkan High School came into view and a scowl suddenly appeared on Akane's face. "That's right, I hate boys." She picked up the pace as they came closer and closer to the gates. "I hate boys, I hate boys, I HATE BOYS!"

Ranma looked ahead and saw something he definitely didn't expect to see at a school. Behind the gates, waiting in front of the school, was a large group of male students. They were wielding sports equipment and other such weapons. The moment they saw Akane, they all charged forward. "What the…"

Once they reached the gates, Ranma hopped up on the wall surrounding the campus while Akane charged straight into the crowd of boys. They all attempted to strike her while shouting things like, "I will earn your love!", or "I shall be the one to date with you!" Each one was quickly silenced by a single strilke from Akane.

As this went on, Ranma heard Nabiki's voice shout down from the second story window of one of the classrooms. "Ranma! Get in here! You'll be late!"

He looked at the slaughter going on in front of him. "But, what about…"

"Don't worry, this happens everyday. Akane will handle it."

"If you say so…"

Akane finished off the last student in the group and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Don't these guys ever get tired of this?"

Ranma jumped off the wall and landed next to Akane. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied with some annoyance.

"Truly, such a boorish lot this is." Came the voice of the last man in the courtyard. The man threw an object towards Akane, who caught it on instinct. The object he threw was a rose. "These whelp truly believed they could defeat you in combat. Oh how foolish they were."

"Kuno." The blunette muttered under her breath.

The young man was wearing a blue kendo uniform and holding a wooden sword. "Fair Akane Tendo, wouldst thou spar with me?"

Ranma leaned closer to Akane. "You sure are popular here aren't ya? Who is this guy anyway?"

Kuno pointed his wooden blade at Ranma. "You! You are being rather familiar with Akane Tendo."

"Yeah, so?"

"Who do you think you are, to think you have the right to stand in her presence?!" Kuno shouted.

"Well, I'm-"

"Wait! Is it not proper to give one's own name first? Then mine I shall give!" Kuno held his blade up high in a dramatic pose. The fact that storm clouds suddenly started forming also made it very dramatic. "I am the undefeated captain of this school's kendo club, the rising star of the high school fencing world. Enemies fall at the mere mention of my name! I am the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen." Lightning flashed in the background. "And you are?"

Ranma just stared at him. "Um…I'm staying at the Tendo Dojo and-"

"What?! Under the same roof as Akane Tendo? I will not allow this!" Kuno charged forward and slashed at Ranma.

The pigtailed martial artist jumped into the air. "My name is Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts." He took off his backpack and threw it to Akane. He landed on the ground and took a stance. "And I accept your challenge!"

"Have at thee!" Kuno charged forward again to slice his opponent. Ranma dodged to the side, but the wall behind him received a large gash from the wooden sword. Kuno's next slash sliced a tree in half, but was avoided by Ranma once again. The two continued their match with Kuno on the offensive. Ranma didn't make any attempt to attack. Instead, he continued to dodge while analyzing Kuno's fighting style. Rain drops started to fall, but the fighters were too fixated on their match to notice.

"I shall not allow you to continue hounding the beauteous Akane you whelp!"

"Hounding?!" Ranma shouted. "Me and Pops are just staying with her family, that's all! There is NOTHING between me and her!" The rain was now falling in a steady drizzle. Ranma and Kuno charged at each other. Kuno struck out with his sword while Ranma struck Kuno with his bare hand.

Before anyone could react, Genma came running into the courtyard in panda form. He knocked Kuno out of the way, grabbed Ranma (who had just transformed from the rain), and ran into the school. The students who were watching the fight continued staring in disbelief at what just happened.

Akane sighed and went inside to find her unwanted fiancé and his father. She found them in a storage closet. Ranma dried herself off with electricity while grumbling to herself. "Stupid rain. I had that guy right where I wanted him too!"

"Oh really? Then what do you call that?" Akane pointed at a bruise on the side of Ranma's neck. "I think you two are pretty evenly matched, don't you?"

Ranma poured a kettle of water over himself and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

(Meanwhile, in Kuno's classroom)

Kuno was looking into a hand mirror. On his forehead, the word 'moron' was written in bruises.

"And you didn't even feel him do it to you?" Nabiki asked.

"Here I thought Ranma Saotome was 'good'." He walked up to the chalkboard and wrote the word 'genius' on it. "Surely this is what he meant to write!"

"Actually, I think he meant to write this." Nabiki wrote the words 'clueless idiot' on the board.

"You realize I despise you."

"Oh, I'm so scared."

(In Akane's class)

Ranma was standing at the front of the class while the teacher introduced him to the class. "This is our new student, Ranma Saotome. I understand you and your father have been traveling around lately, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you and Akane Tendo were late. I want you both to stand out in the hall."

Soon Ranma and Akane were standing in the hall while holding buckets of water, as is Japanese tradition for some reason. "So, what was with that group of guys earlier?"

"It was because of some stupid announcement Kuno made at the beginning of the semester. He said that if anyone wanted to go on a date with me, they had to beat me in a fight. Ever since then, those morons have gathered in the courtyard to fight me every morning."

"That's pretty stupid." Ranma commented.

"You're telling me."

"So you fight Kuno every morning too?"

Akane nodded. "Yeah, and I always win somehow."

Ranma looked away. "Well, when a guy fights a girl, sometimes he lets her win, y'know?"

"Don't underestimate me. Why don't you try fighting me without cheating sometime?"

"I already told, I held back when I fought you, and either way, I'm not going to fight you. Tomboy or not, you're still a girl, and I don't fight girls."

Akane held her bucket of water up. "What if you're a girl yourself?"

"That would make it even worse!"

"Why? Just because your girl side is a bit tougher than your boy side? "

"It's not just a matter of power Akane, it's a matter of control." He explained. "I have a hard time controlling myself as a nymph, emotion-wise and power-wise."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"When you asked me to spar with you yesterday, I didn't think it was a bad idea because you're a girl, my nymph side doesn't really care whether I'm fighting a boy or girl most of the time. I didn't want to do it because I was afraid I might lose control of my powers and hurt you. I don't have total control over them. When that doctor guy snuck up on me, I almost lost control again. I try to stay charged down as much as I can, but sometimes I get pushed over the edge."

"Oh. I see." Akane looked away. "Well, okay then. I guess I can't blame you for not wanting to fight."

The two fell into an awkward silence until a voice broke it. "Ranma Saotome!" They both turned their heads to see Kuno running down the hall towards them. "Never! I shall never allow this!"

"What're ya talking about Kuno?"

"I am talking about your engagement to Akane Tendo!" He replied a bit too loudly. Suddenly, the windows between the classroom and the hall opened up and everyone in their class started assaulting them with questions like "Is this true Akane?" and "I thought you hated boys?" and other such questions.

"W-wait! It's not like that!" Akane tried to explain.

"Our parents decided! We didn't agree to it!" Ranma added.

"You shall never have Akane you cur!" Kuno slashed at Ranma, who jumped over his head and ran down the hall.

"This is no place to fight Kuno. If you want a piece of me, then come on!"

"That I shall!" He chased Ranma down the hall. Akane and the rest of the class followed after them, completely ignoring the fact that it was still class time.

Ranma came across an open window. "This way Kuno." He jumped out of the school building, Kuno following close behind.

Akane and the others ran up to the window. "But this is the third floor!"

"It's okay!" Ranma shouted up to her. Then he looked down and saw something that was not okay. Him and Kuno were falling towards the school's swimming pool. "Water! Why is it always water?!" The two hit the surface with a splash.

Up in the hall, the students were waiting for them to come up. "Are they okay?" "Where'd they go?" "I think I see Kuno, but where's Saotome?"

Down in the pool, Kuno was swimming after Ranma. His eyesight was hindered by the chlorine, but he could _just_ make out a figure in the water. He swam towards it and grabbed the person. What he felt was much more round and soft than what a man's chest should feel like.

Ranma's eyes widened in shock when Kuno grabbed her chest. Then she started boiling with rage.

The students up above saw the entire pool light up, as if the whole thing was being electrified. When the light died down, Kuno was seen flying out of the pool and landing hard on the concrete ground around it. Many students could swear they saw a bolt of lightning come out of the pool before zipping away, but it happened so fast that they couldn't be one hundred percent certain.

While the students continued waiting for Ranma to come out of the pool, Akane slipped away to get some hot water. Unlike the other students, she KNEW she saw a bolt of lightning, and she knew exactly what that lightning meant. Once she got a kettle of hot water, she ran out to the grassy field located next to the school. "Where is he? I know I saw him go this way. He wouldn't travel too far away from the school, would he?"

_"Oh Akaaanneee. Can you hear me?"_ A playful voice called out.

Akane looked around, she couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from. It sounded like it was coming from the inside of her head. "Is that you Ranma? I don't see you."

_"I'm up here."_ The voice echoed. Akane looked up to see Ranma sitting up on a high branch of an especially tall tree. "Hello there!" This time when she spoke, the voice came from her, not Akane's head. She jumped out of the tree and landed softly next to Akane.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Her voice was innocent, but the mischievous smile on her face let Akane know that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"You know what I mean. You put your voice in my head. How'd you do that?"

Ranma shrugged. "I dunno. Just another nymph power I guess. I can talk telepathically with people and see what they're doing."

"Hold on! You can use your powers to SPY on people?"

Ranma glanced away nervously. "Yeah…but not if I'm too far away, and it's not like I make a habit out of it."

"Have you been spying on me?!" Akane asked angrily.

Ranma held up her hands in defense. "No! Only just now! I try to not use it as much as possible, like my other powers. Sorry if you're angry, but it could be worse. I mean, I could've kept it a secret from you."

Akane let out a sigh. "It's okay. Just don't use it to take advantage of people. And make sure you don't let Nabiki know you can do it."

"Sooo, can I have the water?"

"Here."

Ranma took the kettle gratefully. "Thanks! By the way, Kuno's coming."

Akane looked behind her to see the kendoist running their way. He looked slightly scorched, but otherwise okay. "You should find a place to hide so you can change back to a guy. I'll hold him off."

Ranma nodded and leaped back up into the tree.

When Kuno reached her, Akane didn't waste anytime. "Kuno, I challenge you!"

"Ah! If it isn't Akane Tendo. I was searching for that cowardly Ranma, but it seems I've stumbled upon much greater fortune. Very well! I accept your challenge." He raised his blade for battle. "If you win, I shall allow you to date with me!" He charged forward, sword held high.

"Who said I wanted to date you in the first place!" She asked as she dodged his sword swipes.

Ranma knew she should hurry up and turn back into a guy, but she was having far too much fun watching the fight below her. _'Yep, he's definitely holding back.'_ She thought to herself. _'Or maybe he's still recovering from the electrocution I gave him. I held back as much as I could too.'_ She was so caught up in watching the fight, she forgot about the kettle sitting next to her on the branch. The kettle rolled off the branch and started falling to the ground. Ranma noticed this and dived forward to catch it. She grabbed the handle and grabbed onto the branch using her feet. She knew she could easily levitate back up to the branch, but she didn't want to in fear that she'll start relying on her powers too much. So she just hung there while trying to regain her footing.

Meanwhile, back in the fight, Akane continued to dodge her opponents swings until he struck out with an overhead strike that she caught in-between the palms of her hands. He started to overpower her and push her back. Akane leaned backwards, put her foot up to Kuno's torso, and in one swift move, threw him high over her head.

Up in the tree, Ranma was just starting to regain her balance when a certain Akane-crazed nutcase fell headfirst into the kettle she was holding. Due to either wicked skill, or some lack of physics, Ranma stayed in her hanging position while Kuno balanced headfirst on a kettle.

"Why hello there miss." Greeted Kuno. "I don't suppose you've seen a man with black hair in a pigtail have you?"

"Nope. Can't say I have." She replied sheepishly._ 'in anyplace other than a mirror. This guy's a moron, but he's gotta be tough if he got up this fast from all that shock therapy I just gave him.'_

Akane shouted up at her. "You moron! I gave you that water for a reason!"

"I got distracted okay?"

"Oh well, the coward must've run off. Clearly he fears another encounter with the mighty Tatewaki Kuno." Kuno said. An annoyed look crossed Ranma's face. "That man is no man! He is truly nothing more than a coward! Not only does he lure me into that devious trap he set in the swimming pool, he runs away in fear I might recover quickly enough to strike him down!"

Ranma dropped the kettle.

*Bang!*

Kuno hit the ground hard, but that didn't stop him from getting back up. "That hurt you know."

Ranma jumped down from the tree. "I'm tired of all your yapping. If you want a fight, then I'll be happy to take you on!"

"Very well my fiery one! I shall accept your challenge. If you win, I shall allow you to date with me!" He grabbed his blade and thrust it forward.

Ranma jumped over the attack and landed on the blade with perfect balance. "As if I'd ever date a guy as moronic as you are!" She kicked Kuno in the face and jumped off his sword before he let it go. Kuno fell to the ground with a footprint on his face.

"Just so you know Kuno, you won't have any more luck fighting Ranma than you did fighting me." She turned around and started walking away. "Come on Akane, let's go home."

"But it's not even lunchtime yet!" Nevertheless, she followed her fiancé away from the school.

Kuno muttered to himself as he watched them walk away. "Who is she?"

(The next day)

Ranma and Akane were running towards the school gates again. "Hey Akane, you need any help with those guys at school?"

"I don't need any help! You just stay out of my way. Got that?"

"If you say so…"

As they approached the gates, the mob of boys ran towards them. Ranma stayed back as Akane pulverized every man in her path. He looked down at the unconscious men left in her path. "This happens everyday? Does this school care about the well-being of its students at all?"

When the chaos ended, Ranma caught up with Akane. "I wonder where Kuno is today?"

Akane huffed. "Who cares? Let's just be glad he's gone."

Ranma shrugged. "Makes sense to me." They both walked into the school.

(Lunchtime)

"You want to know where she is, right?" Nabiki asked Kuno.

"You know who she is?"

"Yeah, I know her. She wears Chinese clothes and a scarf right?"

"Indeed. I want you to give her this." He handed her a letter and then clenched his fist. "If she thinks she can best the mighty Tatewaki Kuno and simply walk away, me thinks she thinks wrong!"

Nabiki just rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say Kuno-baby."

(After school)

Nabiki handed Ranma the letter. "What? From Kuno?"

"To your girl half. He doesn't have a clue you're both the same person."

He opened the letter and read it aloud. "To the scarf-wearing tree-girl…"

"I'm guessing he calls you a 'tree-girl' because of those vines on your girl form. It's not too far off. You are a nature spirit in that form after all."

Ranma continued reading. "Meet me on the second field of Furinkan High School at 5:36 p.m."

"Sounds like a challenge." Akane commented.

"Kuno-baby is a sore loser. He doesn't take a loss from anyone."

Ranma smirked. "Well he's just gonna have to make an exception for me now isn't he?"

Once it was about five o'clock, Ranma changed into his cursed form and headed out to the arranged spot. She waited there for over half an hour before she got sick of waiting. "That jerk! He's late, and he's the one who picked the time. Seriously, who does that?"

Somewhere far away, a boy wearing a yellow bandana sneezed, but we'll get to him later.

She felt Kuno's presence enter her range of life-force-sensing. "Sheesh, took him long enough."

Soon after that, he entered the field. "I see you've decided to come."

"You sure took your sweet time getting here. Where's that little sword of your's huh?"

"I have no need of a sword." He stated calmly.

"Well aren't you feeling confident."

"Confident enough,…to give you this!" He threw an object at Ranma, who easily caught it. Her eyes widened when she found out it was a bouquet of roses. "Scarf-clad girl. I love you." He walked away without another word.

Ranma stared at the bouquet of roses for a minute. This was one of the times when she was glad her cursed form was so uncaring. She knew this was going to hit her hard when she turned back into a guy. "Maybe it would be best if I stayed like this for tonight."

She dropped the roses to the ground and returned home.

End of Chapter

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

If you have seen or played Kid Icarus Uprising, then you know that the deities have the ability to talk to Pit and each other telepathically during the levels. Phosphora has also shown the ability to communicate telepathically as she was talking to Pit while he made his way through the Thunder Cloud Temple.

If you have not seen or played KI Uprising, then you should at least take the time to watch it on YouTube. It's a great game and characters from it will be appearing in later chapters. It's good to be informed!

In other news, I cannot believe how quickly I wrote this chapter. If you've read my other stories, you'd know that my updates are never this frequent. This is most likely a sign of the apocalypse, or it just means I have WAY too much time on my hands. Either way, I hope you will review and stay tuned for chapter 3!


	3. Inner Turmoil

Hello and thank you all for the love and support of this story. It's becoming much more popular much faster than I originally thought it would, so I'm assuming I'm doing well so far. This chapter is somewhat longer than the other two because I couldn't figure out how I wanted it to end. I finally decided on a good ending and I hope you like it.

Do you like the new cover picture for this story? It was created by my author friend ShadowRose DarkBlade. This is what Ranma's cursed form looks like, more or less.

Hope you enjoy this exciting episode of…

Spring of Drowned Nymph

Chapter Three: Inner Turmoil

Ranma found himself walking through the Tendo house, minding his own business. He opened the door to the guest room and found the last thing he wanted to see. "K-Kuno! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Kuno glanced over his shoulder at Ranma. "Ranma Saotome, I love you."

Ranma's eyes widened. "Are you sick?! I'm a guy you moron!" Then a hole suddenly opened in the floor and he fell through it, landing in the furo.

On the other side of the furo, Kuno was looking him in the eyes. "I love you." Ranma backed away as far as he could from him. When he felt his back touch the wall, he dove underneath the water. When he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he popped his head above the surface. Now he found himself in the middle of the ocean in a raging storm. A huge figure started rising out of the ocean, it was a gigantic form of Tatewaki Kuno. "I love you Ranma Saotome."

"Are you totally dense?! I said I'm a guy you brainless jerk!" He stopped talking when he realized his voice was far too high-pitched too be his male voice. He looked down to find the blue scarf that accompanied his nymph form. She looked back up to see the giant Kuno reaching out to grab her. She levitated out of the water and tried to fly away, but the giant hand continued to chase after her.

"Come back. I love you." Ranma tried to charge up electricity to zap Kuno. When no electricity came out, she tried drawing lightning from the storm to power her up. She was struck by the bolt of lightning she wanted, but instead of charging her up, it shocked her like it would any other human being.

She fell downward, but instead of falling into the ocean, she landed on solid ground. She recognized this place as the Furinkan High School courtyard. Then, the next thing she knew, a group of guys surrounded her. These weren't the students who attacked Akane every morning, these men were all exact copies of Kuno. They started closing in on her, all of them repeating the same thing. "I love you."

"No, stay back! Get away from me!" She tried to shoot lightning, to fly away, to telepathically contact someone for help. When none of that worked, she tried to punch and kick the Kuno clones, but they grabbed and pinned down each of her limbs.

One of the clones leaned his head towards her face. He came closer and closer. When he was barely a centimeter away from her face, he said one last time, "I love you." and closed the distance.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ranma screamed as she shot up from her lying position. She put a hand over her chest as she tried to regain control of her heart rate. "Just a dream. Thank god it was just a dream."

The door to the guest room opened and Akane came in. "I heard a scream. Are you alright Ranma?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a totally messed up dream."

Akane crossed her arms. "What were you doing sleeping as a girl anyway?"

Ranma looked away. "I'm having some emotional issues alright? I've slept as a nymph before, I usually have dreams of forests and rivers and nature-y stuff, so I thought I wouldn't get a nightmare!"

"It must've been some nightmare to freak you out so much, especially when you're like this."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Well you'd better get dressed quick, unless you want to go to school in nothing but boxers and a scarf." She left the room and closed the door.

Ranma got dressed and went downstairs. Kasumi offered her some hot water at breakfast, which she took hesitantly. Once she returned to a he, a chill ran up his spine as he recalled the previous day's events and last night's dream. He finished breakfast and left for school with Akane.

Once they arrived at the gates of the school, the usual group of boys charged forward. Instead of staying back, Ranma joined his fiancé in the merciless beating of their fellow students. Once the usual guys were down, Kuno came running out of the school, wooden stick held high. Ranma and Akane simultaneously leaped into the air and planted a foot into Kuno's face. The 'True Blunder' fell again.

When lunch came around, Akane glared at Ranma. "I never asked you to help me out!"

"I wasn't doing it for you. It was for personal reasons."

"Whatever. Just don't do it again."

(Meanwhile)

Nabiki looked down at the stuffed panda that Kuno had put on her desk. "What's this?"

"It's a stuffed animal."

"I know that genius, what is it for?"

"It's a present."

Nabiki pushed it aside. "No thanks."

"Did I say it was for you? I think not." Kuno said irritably.

"Then what's it for?" She asked as she took a bite of her food.

"This, Nabiki Tendo, is a token of my affection for my scarf-clad goddess!"

Nabiki stared at the little panda with wide eyes. _'THAT…is for Ranma?'_ She couldn't hold in her amusement at the idea any longer and burst out laughing, spitting out her food onto Kuno's face as she did so. _'Scarf-clad GODDESS huh? Kuno-baby doesn't know how close he is.'_ Nabiki reached into her bag and pulled out some photos. "I just happen to have some pictures of her Kuno. You want?"

"Pictures you say?" He took a look at the photos. In most of the pictures, her only clothing was the boxers and tank-top Ranma wore in his sleep, and of course the scarf and vines. "She's so…unashamed before the camera. Such beauty, such grace! I must have them!"

"One-thousand yen each." Nabiki said. _'Good thing Ranma slept in his curse form last night. His decision made getting these photos much easier.'_ She smiled as Kuno gave her the money. "You know Kuno, you've surprised me. To think you would dump my little sister for another woman so easily."

"I never said I was dumping her." He replied indignantly.

"You're not planning on two-timing her, are you?"

"Please. Don't be so vulgar. The purity and power of Akane Tendo, the exotic beauty of the scarf-clad girl. I cannot bear to part with either! Do you call it deceit to wish them both?!" He shouted.

"No, I call it two-timing." She handed Kuno photos of Akane. Most of them were of her working out in her martial arts gi. "One-thousand each."

Kuno stared at each picture intently. "Such ferocity, I'll take them!"

"As an added bonus, I'll even tell you how to get your little present to that scarf-wearing 'goddess' of yours."

"Tell me!"

(After School)

Ranma and Akane were walking out the front gate of the school when Nabiki ran up to them. "What is it Nabiki?" Akane asked curiously.

"I came here to tell Ranma something." She looked at the pigtailed boy. "Kuno wants to meet with you."

Ranma felt like he was going to be sick. "Ugh. What does he want now?"

"He wants you to meet him in front of a nearby café."

"This'd better be good." Nabiki led Ranma to the café Kuno requested. Ranma saw the obsessive kendoist waiting for him. "Alright Kuno, I'm here. Now spill it, what do you want?"

"I want to give you this." He threw Ranma the stuffed panda.

Ranma stared at it blankly. "Is this a joke?"

"No, it's a stuffed anim-"

"I know that you moron! What is it for?"

"It is a token of my affection to the scarf-clad girl."

"So you're giving it to me because…"

"Because SHE told me to." He pointed at Nabiki, who was casually whistling in an attempt to not draw attention. "According to Nabiki Tendo, the fastest way to get my gift to the scarf-clad girl is to give it to you. Now tell me, just what is your relation with her?"

_'Dammit Nabiki.'_ He thought to himself. "Listen, take my advice and stay away from her, you're just going to end up getting hurt. And either way, if I have any say in it, you'll never see her again anyway." He threw the panda back to Kuno and walked past him. He turned at a corner and was immediately doused with water by someone emptying a bucket from the second-story window. _'Dammit irony!'_

"Never see my goddess again?" Kuno growled. "And just why is that Ranma Saotome?!" He ran around the corner to confront him, but instead of his rival, he laid eyes on one of the loves of his life. "Scarf-clad girl!" He reached out a hand towards her, which she heartlessly slapped away. Kuno ignored the cold gesture and grabbed her in a bear hug.

Ranma was about to give Kuno the electrocution of a lifetime when Nabiki poured a thermos of hot water over her head. "Hot, hot, hot!"

"I'm sorry Ranma. Too hot?" She asked with fake innocence.

"Ranma?" Kuno asked curiously. The person he was hugging suddenly broke free and kicked him in the face. When he recovered, he realized that the person standing in front of him was Ranma Saotome, not the 'scarf-clad girl'.

"Well Kuno? Have you realized my secret yet?" He asked.

Kuno spoke coolly and slowly. "I would have never imagined. To think, Ranma Saotome is a practitioner of dark magic."

Ranma nearly face-faulted at the pure stupidity of the man in front of him. "Are you a complete idiot?!"

"Don't play dumb with me Saotome! What have you done with my darling goddess?!" He shouted in rage.

Nabiki just shook her head. "Looks like he won't get it unless we spell it out for him. Come here Kuno-baby." Once she had his attention, she started speaking in a dramatic voice. "You see Kuno…that girl you want, her body and her soul…both belong to Ranma."

"Her body…and her soul…belong to Ranma?!"

"That's right, and you know what that means don't you?"

Kuno looked back at Ranma. "You vile sorcerer! You would bind the scarf-clad girl to you against her will?!"

Ranma sweat-dropped. "What're you talking about?!"

"Silence you wretch! I can see it now! You've bound her body and soul to you using your evil magic. You've tortured her mercilessly until she had no choice but to bow down to you in fear! I will not allow this tragedy to continue any longer!"

"Uhhh…what?" Ranma didn't have anymore time to ponder this man's stupidity because Kuno pulled out his wooden blade and charged at him once again. The sword swings he was forced to dodge were much faster than anything Kuno had done so far, but Ranma dodged them nonetheless.

"Stand still so I can end you, you enslaver of woman!"

"Not a chance Kuno!" Ranma dodged another strike and kicked his foe in the chest. Kuno was knocked back and a piece of paper fell out of his kendo outfit. Ranma grabbed it and his eyes widened when he saw what it was. "Hey! This is…"

"Ignore me will you?" Kuno struck Ranma's side while he was distracted.

From behind the pedestal of a nearby statue, Akane was watching the fight intently. She gasped when she saw Ranma get hit. "What's that moron doing?"

Ranma continued to dodge and strike. Each time he did more pieces of paper fell out. "Where the hell did these come from?"

"Do not look away in battle!" Kuno aimed a sword thrust at Ranma's head. The pigtailed martial artist leaned back to avoid the strike. He used the momentum to turn his lean into a backwards rolled to gain some distance.

He kept rolling until he reached the spot where Akane was watching. He stopped on his head and looked up at Akane. "Hey there."

"There's something you should know Ranma, Kuno's really tough to beat when he gets angry like this. You'd better pay attention or you'll regret it."

"And there's something YOU should know Akane. Those polka-dotted panties don't suit you."

Akane backed away and glared at him. "Dry up and die!" She kicked him up into the air.

Ranma landed on his feet in front of Kuno. "I have you now Saotome!" He went into a barrage of sword thrusts so fast that the average person probably couldn't see the strikes let alone dodge them, but that didn't stop Ranma from avoiding every strike. The statue pedestal behind Ranma started to crumble from the air pressure of the strikes alone.

Ranma looked back to make sure Akane was okay. "Out of the way tomboy!"

"Eyes in front idiot!" She yelled back.

"You're mine fiend!" Kuno went in for one last strike.

"I don't think so!" Ranma struck him with a kick to the chest. Kuno lowered his blade and just stood there. "It's over Kuno."

"You will address me as…upper-class…" He fell to the ground.

Nabiki walked up to him. "Am I the only one here who's confused about what happened?"

Akane rolled Kuno onto his back. There were bruises and footprints all over his body. "Each blow hit a vulnerable spot."

"You kicked him? I didn't even see your feet move." Nabiki said in an impressed tone.

Ranma put his hands behind his back. "Eh. It was nothing."

"Really? But you got hit too. Doesn't it hurt?" Asked Akane.

"No, not really."

"Even if I do this?" She poked Ranma's side and he immediately winced in pain. "Oh yeah, it's nothing alright. What distracted you back there anyway?"

"This." He held up two pictures, one of his cursed form and another of Akane.

"Where did you get these?! I'm afraid to ask!"

"Hey, Kuno's the one who had them! I didn't do anything!"

"Well then where did he…Nabiki!" She shouted at her sister.

"Can't blame a girl for trying to make a little cash." She said sheepishly.

Ranma put his hands behind his back. "Like it matters. After all, who would want these boring pictures anyway? How you'll ever get a husband is a mystery to me." He held up a picture of his nymph side. "Now THESE are actually worth something. Maybe if you keep following me around, some of my looks will rub off on ya, then you might be able to get a husband." He let the photo fly away in the wind and started walking away.

Akane's face was red with rage. "Why…you. Come here Ranma!" The physical restrain she had been keeping up for the last few days shattered and she unleashed all her anger on her fiancé.

(Several minutes later…)

Ranma was laid down on one of the beds in Dr Tofu's clinic. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably and his arms and legs were bent in odd positions. Dr Tofu examined him while Akane watched. "Hm. Amazing. This sword wound is almost completely healed up, but these other injuries…he looks like he was hit by a truck."

_'Or a tomboy.'_ Ranma added in his head.

"Who would do such a thing?" Akane looked away shamefully when he asked this.

Ranma whispered softly. "A tomboy with anger management issues." He was silenced when the end of the bed was lifted up, making Ranma fall to the floor. _'Is violence her answer to everything?!'_ He thought in pain.

Akane dropped the bed when the doctor looked at her. "Akane, you did this?"

"Um…well…"

Dr Tofu snapped his fingers and chuckled. "I knew I recognized these kinds of injuries. They look just like your handy work. Ha ha!"

_'You wouldn't be laughing if you were the one with dislocated joints!'_ Ranma mentally screamed.

Dr Tofu picked him up and put him back on the bed. He grabbed Ranma's left arm and than yanked on it, making Ranma grunt in pain. He continued to do this with his other joints while talking casually. "So you're Ranma huh? I hear you're Akane's fiancé."

Akane's face went red, whether it was because of anger, embarrassment, or both is unknown. "It was our parent's idea! Not ours!"

"That's alright." The doctor said as he started pounded on Ranma's spine. "After all, you're still young, you both have plenty of time to work it out."

When the Dr Tofu finished, Ranma glared at him. "That hurt!"

The doctor looked at him curiously. "Really? Where?"

"Well…" Ranma was going to respond, but he couldn't find any place on his body that still hurt. "I'm cured! Thanks a lot Doc!"

Akane nodded. "Thank you Doctor. We should probably get back home now."

Ranma and Akane were walking out the front door when Dr Tofu grabbed Ranma's shoulder. "Ranma, I know you and Akane are upset about the engagement, but please, try to get along. It looks like she's trying really hard to control herself, so you should make an effort to control yourself as well."

Ranma looked away. "I know Doc, and I've been trying to keep my mouth shut lately, but I just…slip sometimes, y'know?"

"It's the same thing with Akane. All I ask is that you think before you speak next time. She's really a sweet girl once you get to know her. You'll understand soon." He slapped Ranma on the back and waved goodbye.

It was fairy late now, the sun had gone down and the streets were mostly vacant. "What were you two talking about?" Asked Akane.

"Oh, just guy stuff."

"Like?"

Ranma considered using this as an opportunity to make fun of her but decided against it. He truly did want to get out of the habit of insulting others to get them mad. He originally learned it from his father. It was a way to get your opponent angry so that they would get sloppy. Ranma had spent so much time alone with his dad on the road that he'd forgotten how much words could hurt people. His cursed form was even less caring about insulting others than he usually was, so he resolved to try and get better about it.

He let out a sigh. "Nothing. Just forget about it."

"Come on. Tell me!"

"No way!"

Akane huffed and looked away. "Fine then. Like I care anyway."

_'I still don't understand what Doc meant about her being 'sweet'. Every time I try to be nice, she just pushes me away. I swear, I've just about had up to here with-'_ Suddenly, Ranma's legs gave out on him and he fell to the ground. "Hey! My legs, they won't move!" He thought back to when Dr Tofu slapped him on the back. _'He must've hit a pressure point or something.'_

"Are you okay Ranma?" Akane asked with concern.

"I'm fine! I just…need a moment to get my legs working again. That's all!" Akane crouched down in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Don't just sit there, come on. Piggyback."

"No way! Guys can't be seen doing stuff like that! It's embarrassing."

Akane picked up a nearby hose and sprayed Ranma with it. "So it's okay if we're both girls then?"

"I guess it would be okay, but…" She charged herself up with electricity. When she charged down, she immediately hopped back onto her feet. "…it looks like a good jolt of electricity got them working again. Thanks for the offer though." The two continued walking home. _'She did offer to help me out. Maybe she is kinda sweet when she wants to be. If only she was like that all the time.'_

(The next day)

Ranma and his dad were in the middle of their morning spar. As usual, both sides seemed equal, so it was hard to tell which of them was truly stronger. They each stood on a boulder on opposite sides of the Koi pond. They both leaped at each other and went into a barrage of midair punches and kicks. From inside the dining room, Kasumi called out to them. "Mr. Saotome! Ranma! Breakfast time!"

Both fighters stopped their midair barrage to respond to the eldest Tendo girl. "Thank you Kasumi! The food smells great!" Genma shouted.

"Be there in a minute!" Shouted Ranma. At that moment, gravity decided to take effect again and they both fell into the pond.

Ranma sat on the porch and dried herself off with electricity as she had grown accustom to doing lately. Genma just went to the table, not even bothering to change back.

Eventually, everyone gathered at the table to eat their breakfast. Nabiki left for school early as she usually does. Akane got up to get going as well, but Kasumi held up a hand. "Akane, I have a favor to ask of you. Could you deliver this book back to Dr Tofu for me?"

Akane looked away nervously. "S-sorry. I can't today."

A frown crossed her oldest sister's face. "That's too bad. I guess I'll have to bring it back myself later."

"Why don't you go Akane?" Asked Ranma. "It would be the perfect excuse."

Akane glared at him in a 'shut your mouth right now you idiot' way before grabbing his arm and running out the door. "Come on, let's get going!"

"But I'm not done eating!" He whined.

"Deal with it!"

"Slow down will ya!" Akane dragged him down the street and didn't even notice when the old lady with the bucket splashed her fiancé again. "Let go dammit!"

Akane dragged her through the school gates and slammed her into the inner wall. "Why can't you learn to keep your big mouth shut!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I mean talking about me and Dr Tofu like that! I outta…" It was then that she noticed the state Ranma was currently in. "When did you…"

"I told you to wait." She glanced behind Akane's shoulder and realized they weren't alone. "Hey Akane, behind you."

She turned around and noticed the crowd of male students watching them. She stepped away from Ranma and took a stance. "Alright. Who's first?" Then all the men started doing something she didn't expect in a hundred years. They all started to cry. "What's going on?"

One of the men spoke up. "Akane, we all had a meeting and came to a decision." The men's tears flowed even harder than before. "We've decided to swallow our tears and accept you engagement to Ranma."

Akane stared at them blankly. "…Why?"

"Because, fair Akane Tendo…" Came the voice of Kuno. He limped through the crowd, using his blade as a crutch. His whole body was covered in bandages, giving him the appearance of a mummy. "these fools believe that the vile sorcerer Saotome has bested me in battle. Tatewaki Kuno NEVER accepts defeat! That treacherous scum shall not escape my vengeance!" He fell to one knee, unable to stand up any longer.

Another boy from the crowd spoke up. "Kuno was this school's greatest fighter. If HE was beaten by Ranma, then the rest of us don't stand a chance."

"I told you naïve fools already…" He removed the bandages on his face to reveal just how bruised and battered it really was. "Ranma Saotome has NOT bested me!"

Ranma had had enough of his babbling. "Will you just give it up? I, I mean Ranma, already beat you fair and square, so get over yourself already!"

Kuno grasped Ranma's hands in his own. "Fear not my scarf-clad goddess, for I know you do not mean what you say. Once I defeat the wretched Saotome, his hold of you shall end, and we may be together forever!"

"Ugh! You're sick! It's Akane you're supposed to be drooling over, not me!"

Kuno turned his attention towards the blunette girl. "The beauteous Akane. So strong, like the ox, yet as graceful as the leopard." He turned back towards Ranma. "And the scarf-clad girl. Truly, you are a wonder of nature itself! Is it wrong that I cannot bare to part with either of you?"

Ranma grabbed Kuno by the ear. "Excuse us a moment." She dragged the wannabe samurai outside of the gate, on the other side of the wall. A crackling sound and lots of pain were heard from the the other side. When Ranma dragged him back into the gate, Kuno was covered in burn marks and shaking uncontrollably.

"What did you do to him?" Asked one of the boys.

"Nothing you need to worry about." She dropped Kuno in front of the school and walked inside.

(Later, in P.E. class)

Ranma flipped up and down on the pull-up bar several times before he let go and landed on the ground, earning him some applause from his peers. He gave a bow and sat down on the side with the others. One of the boys in his class, Hiroshi if he remembered right, walked up to him. "Hey, that was pretty cool."

Daisuke, Hiroshi's best buddy, nodded his head. "Yeah. Didn't you say you practiced gymnastics or something like that?"

"I practice martial arts, not gymnastics."

""Well either way, you're pretty good. Is it true you beat Kuno?" Asked Hiroshi.

Ranma put his hands behind his back. "Yep. He wasn't all that tough either. It's been verified by a doctor that Akane hits harder than him."

"That's right," Said Daisuke. "You're her fiancé right? Man, you sure are lucky, you know that?"

"Yeah right." He scoffed. "She's more likely to kill me than kiss me, and besides, she's already got someone lik-Urk!" His sentence was cut off by the baseball that hit him in the face. Ironically enough, Akane's the one who hit it. Go figure.

Hiroshi and Daisuke looked down at him. "You said you're a martial artist didn't you? Couldn't you have dodged that or something?"

"I had something on my mind." He replied dully.

(After School)

Ranma was walking to Dr Tofu's clinic. He had an icepack clutched to his face. Akane was walking beside him. "Look, I said I was sorry!"

"Whatever. Just remind me to never be around while you're playing baseball ever again."

"Come on. It was just an accident! The odds of it happening again are about as high as getting struck by lightning." She said in a bit of a joking manner, then she remembered just who she was talking to. "Um…maybe that wasn't the best comparison to use."

"Ya think?" They walked up to the clinic and found Ranma's dad sweeping the porch. "Pops? What are you doing here?"

The panda held up a sign. [I got a part-time job] Flip sign. [Working for Dr Tofu.]

"You never told me you were getting a job." He stated accusingly.

[Must've slipped my mind.] He went back to sweeping.

"Ranma! Akane! How are you both doing?" Came the voice of Dr Tofu from the doorway.

Ranma pointed at his cheek. "Hey Doc, you don't mind checking this out, do you?"

Not even a minute later, Ranma was sitting on the patient's bed. Dr Tofu was checking the injury. "Interesting. This is a softball wound, am I right?"

Ranma nodded. "You got it Doc."

"And if I had to guess, Akane hit the ball, right?" He said in a joking tone.

Akane looked away shamefully.

"Right again Doc. How could you tell?"

"Well, who else could hit a ball hard enough to penetrate this thick skull?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Said Ranma, obviously not humored by the comment.

"It's just a joke. Here, let me go get some ointment to take care of the swelling." Before he left the room, the phone started ringing. "Could you get that for me Akane?"

The blunette nodded. "Of course Doctor!" She picked up the phone. "Hello, who is it? Oh, hello. Yes I understand. Goodbye." Akane suddenly started looking downcast. "Ranma, we're leaving."

"Huh? How come? I thought you wanted to spend some time with the Doc"

"Just shut up! You don't know anything!" She shouted. Then she looked down. "Look, it's true that I have a crush on Dr Tofu, but he doesn't return my feelings. To him, I'm still that little kid who used to injure herself all the time. He's in love with someone else."

Ranma hesitated to ask the next question. "…Who is it?"

Akane sighed. She clearly saw that question coming. "It's my older sister, Kasumi. For as long as I can remember, he's been hopelessly in love with her. Nabiki just called, she said Kasumi is coming to drop off her book. She'll be here any minute now. "It'd be best if we weren't around when she got here."

"Okay, I guess. Just wait until I get the ointment from the Doc and we'll leave. Kay?"

Akane nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

A few seconds later, Dr Tofu walked back into the room. "I have the ointment, now let me have a look at that wound, okay Ranma?" He held Ranma's head with one hand and applied the ointment with the other.

A few seconds later, the sound of a door opening and shutting was heard. Ranma and Akane looked at the doorway to the waiting room anxiously. Their fears were put to rest when panda-Genma walked in. Both teens let out a sigh of relief. The panda held up a sign. [We have a visitor.]

He put the sign down and Kasumi stepped out from behind his back, wearing her ever-present smile. "Hello Dr Tofu." She noticed the other two occupants of the room. "Oh! Ranma, Akane, I didn't expect to see you two here. What a surprise."

Dr Tofu took one glance at Kasumi and immediately stopped what he was doing. His glasses fogged up and a goofy grin crossed his features. Ranma tried to move, but his head was stuck in the doctor's vice-like grip. "K-K-K-Kasumi! What a coincidence meeting you here of all places! Is there anything I can d-do for you?"

She continued speaking in her sweet voice, as if oblivious to the doctor's strange behavior. "I just came to return this book I borrowed from you. What are you doing?"

Ranma tried to pry his head free from Dr Tofu's hold harder than ever, but it was still no use. "I'm just helping out this poor child here. It seems he injured his head somehow. Now let's see if we can fix it." He turned Ranma's head to the right. A loud snapping sound and a groan of excruciating pain was heard. "There we go, all fixed."

He finally released his hold on Ranma. He tried to move his head, but he soon found out it was stuck in position. "Great. Just great. Hey Akane, be a pal and help me out here will ya?"

"I don't know what you expect me to do." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm going home. Just wait for him to calm down and then he'll help you out, okay?" She grabbed her bag and ran out the door.

"Hey, wait up!" He tried to follow her, but he had a difficult time staying balanced with his head snapped to one side. By the time he made it outside, Akane was already gone. "Great. Now where'd she go?"

He was about to go look for her, but he stopped when he heard Kasumi call his name from the doorway of the clinic. "Ranma, are you going to be okay? I don't think a person's head is supposed to bend that way." She asked with a mother's concern.

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt or nothing, it's just kinda awkward."

Kasumi's serene smile appeared on her face again. "That's good. I know how strange Dr Tofu acts when he's around me, that's why I try not to interrupt him as much as possible. I really do care about him though. That's one of the reasons I pushed you onto Akane when we first met."

"Any other reasons?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well…" She looked Ranma in the eyes, then broke out into a giggling fit. "I'm sorry. It's just difficult to take you seriously when your head's like that. Maybe you should get it fixed by the doctor. He should stop dancing with Betty sometime soon."

_'Dancing with…never mind. I'm not even going to ask.'_ "Nah, I think I have a quicker solution." He walked over to the hose in front of the clinic. He sprayed himself and turned into a nymph again. "Watch this." Ranma started charging herself with electricity, then her whole body turned into a glowing, light blue color and seemed to lose physical mass. "You might want to cover your ears and step back."

Kasumi did as Ranma told her. She watched in wonder as Ranma suddenly shot into the sky like a lightning bolt. The resulting thunder made Kasumi's ears ring, but she was otherwise okay. She continued to watch as the lightning bolt zipped back and forth around the sky. It didn't stopped moving until it struck the ground in front of her. The spot Ranma landed on was scorched, but the nymph herself was just fine. Plus her head was back in the correct position. It seems dematerializing into a bolt of lightning, flying back and forth at the speed of light, and rematerializing back into solid matter was enough to fix Ranma's neck. Simple solution right?

Kasumi clapped her hands. "That was amazing!"

Ranma sent her a bright smile. "Yep. I'm just cool like that sometimes. So what was it you were going to say?"

"Oh right, about the engagement. While it's true I pushed you onto Akane because I cared for Dr Tofu, that wasn't the only reason. I did it for her own good as well as mine. I thought getting to know a nice boy like you might allow her to open up a little towards boys besides our father and the doctor."

"I can't say it's worked very well." Ranma said, feeling a bit downcast.

"I disagree." Ranma looked at her like she was crazy. "Well, I heard the boys from school have stopped attacking her because of you. Is it true?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but still…"

Kasumi put a hand on her shoulder. "Give her some time, she'll come around sooner or later. Unlike our fathers, I'm not expecting you to marry her, I'm just hoping you'll give her a chance."

Ranma looked away. "You know, it's kinda strange…"

Kasumi tilted her head. "Hm?"

"It's just…how did three sisters living under the same roof end up so different?"

"I don't know. How does a child who's spent his whole life with only his father as a role model become so much different than him?" Ranma didn't know how to answer that. "I guess it's just nature's design, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kasumi looked at her watch. "Oh my! It's getting late! We'd better get home, I still have to make dinner for everyone."

Ranma nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we should." The two took off to go home.

(Somewhere far, far away)

A tree fell to the ground somewhere in a North American forest. The group of lumberjacks that cut it down loaded it into a large truck with a few other trees. "Alright guys, that's enough for today. Let's get these trees back to the lumberyard and call it a day." One of them called out to the others.

"You got it boss!" Came the replies from the others. They tied the trees down and drove away, back to civilization.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched, not by the woodland animals, or by someone wandering the vastness of nature. They were being watched by nature itself. Somewhere within the woods, within the trees and the streams and the mountains, within nature itself, within a place where no mere mortal could enter without divine help, a pair of eyes were watching. They weren't just watching the lumberjacks, these eyes were watching many things.

Many images appeared on the walls of the place where mortals could not enter. Images of forests being chopped down tree by tree, images of factories spitting out several shafts of smoke into the atmosphere, images of farmers slaughtering some of their livestock.

One image was of an oil platform out somewhere in the Atlantic ocean. The platform had sprung a leak, and was now spilling tons of oil into the ocean. Another image was of a live battlefield somewhere in Asia. Soldiers of opposite sides were fighting in a forest. They shot at anything that moved, whether it was their enemies, or an innocent creature who was caught in the middle. They used the trees around them as cover. Many of the trees had bullet holes in them while others had fallen over from grenade damage and such.

Watching all of this, was a single person. This person clenched a fist in anger. "These mortals…" The person said through clenched teeth. "They have no clue how much trouble they cause to the environment around them. They take advantage of the earth and the creatures that live there as if it's their property. It makes me sick!" The person watching the images gazed upwards, as if remembering something from long ago. "Two-thousand years…I've given them the benefit of the doubt for a whole two-thousand years…and they've become even worse than before! I refuse to let this go on any longer!"

The images vanished from the walls and the figure walked away from them. "I'm not going to sit back and let this continue! Not like I did with the incident at Jusenkyo, not like I did when I lost Phosphora…It's time for action."

"Humanity WILL pay."

End of Chapter

FORSHADOWING! The next chapter is when things really start to get different, so look forward to that.

If you've played or watched KI Uprising like I suggested, then you already know who was watching the activities of the humans, if not, then just bare with me a little longer.

Review if you want and have a nice day!


	4. The Fanged One

Hello! I'm back with another chapter. Hooray!

Like I said in the last chapter, we're finally going to see some serious differences in the plotline. Which means you all can stop complaining about how similar to the manga this story has been!

Without further delay, here it is.

Spring of Drowned Nymph

Chapter Four: The Fanged One

"Nuh uh! No way! Not even if you paid me!" Ranma shouted as she ran away from Nabiki and Kasumi. Weekends were usually good days for Ranma because it meant he didn't have to go to school, but today was a different case. Ranma woke up that morning to find out that all his Chinese clothes were in the wash, meaning he had nothing to wear. Then Nabiki brought up the idea to make him wear girl's clothes until his were clean again. The next thing Ranma knew, he was splashed with water and was now being chased around the house by the two older Tendo girls.

Akane, her father, and Genma were all sitting at the dining table, trying their best to ignore the noise. It had been about a week since Ranma and his dad first arrived. In this time Soun learned to tune out the noise by shutting himself off from the world and reading the newspaper. Akane had not learned how to tone out the noise and she was getting irritated. "Will you keep it down Ranma!"

"I'll be quiet once your sisters stop chasing me!" She yelled as she ran past the dining room, wearing nothing but the boxers and tank-top she wore to bed, and of course the scarf.

It took a minute, but the two Tendo girls managed to corner Ranma in a dead end hall. The nymph backed herself against the wall. "I don't want to wear girl's clothes! Just because my personality is a bit different in this form doesn't mean I'm okay with acting girly."

"Ranma it's not very proper for you to stay in such a state of undress, especially since you're a guest here." Kasumi said in her motherly tone.

"I know, but…"

"And besides, you don't want to run around the house in your underwear all day, do you?" Asked Nabiki.

Ranma looked back and forth between the two sisters before lowering her head. "Fine."

Less than a minute later, Ranma and all three Tendo sisters were in Akane's room. The youngest sister had a scowl stuck on her face. "I understand he needs clothes to wear, but why do they have to be mine?"

Nabiki started explaining as if the reasons were clear as day. "Because Akane, most of Kasumi's clothes are dresses and most of my clothes are outfits I took from you when you weren't looking."

"You did wha-"

"Ooh. I know! Let's make her wear that Sailor outfit. You know, the one with the mini-skirt that Akane wore to that costume party, remember?" Nabiki said with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Ranma's eyes widened. "No way! Wearing a skirt is bad enough, but wearing one of those magical girl outfits? I'd rather die first!"

"Well technically, you ARE a magical girl. I think it would suit you well, and I can get some good photos while I'm at it." Nabiki said as she imagined how much cash she could get from those kinds of photos.

"I want you to stop taking pictures of me! I have a right to privacy y'know! I have half a mind to break that camera of yours after you sold pictures of me to that creep Kuno."

Nabiki cast a cold glare at Ranma. "You wouldn't dare break my camera Saotome."

"Try me." She released a few jolts of electricity from her body to show she wasn't kidding.

"Will you do your thundercloud impersonation somewhere else? This is MY room." Akane growled.

Kasumi stepped in-between the bickering teenagers. "I think I've found something that might work." She held up an orange T-shirt with the word 'china' written across the chest in red and a blue pair of pants. "Is this okay Ranma?"

"I guess so…" Ranma put the clothes on over her boxers. She had to take her scarf off in order to put the shirt on, but she immediately put it back on afterward. Once she was done putting on the outfit, the other girls stepped back to get a good look at her. Her scarf covered the top of 'china', but otherwise, they looked good on her.

"What do you think Saotome?" Asked Nabiki.

"They look very colorful on you." Kasumi said with a smile.

"I guess they look okay on you…" Akane said reluctantly.

"They don't fit well." Ranma whined.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Kasumi asked.

"It's tight around my chest." A blood vessel popped on Akane's head at the unintentional insult. "And it's really baggy around the waist."

Akane grabbed the wooden training sword she kept next to her bed. "Just what are you trying to say Ranma?" She growled.

Ranma put her hands up in defense. "No wait! I didn't mean-"

"Die you jerk!" She started hitting the nymph furiously with the stick.

Ranma didn't fight back, she just sat there and took the beating, hoping her fiancé would calm down after relieving some stress. That was her plan, but her body didn't want to sit still as it was mercilessly injured. Ranma screamed and shut her eyes as she unwillingly released a violent jolt of electricity from her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw Akane lying on the ground, motionless. Her sisters were staring at her in a mixture of fear and shock. "Oh god. I didn't mean to…it was…I didn't…what have I done?"

Kasumi snapped out of her state of shock and rushed over to her younger sister. She knelt down next to her to check for signs of life. Meanwhile, Nabiki was sending a death glare Ranma's way. "What the hell was that Saotome?! I swear, if anything happens to Akane, I will make your life a living hell! Do you understand me?"

Ranma stared at her own hands as if they were demons. "But I…I didn't mean to!"

Kasumi stood up. "It's okay, she's alive, but we need to take her to Dr Tofu quickly." She looked at Ranma. "Can I trust you to take her there?"

"Kasumi!" Nabiki snapped. "You want him to take her, after what he just did?"

"It was an accident. I would just make things worse if I showed up at the doctor's clinic, and Ranma's the only one of us who's strong and fast enough to take her either way." She looked back at Ranma and asked again. "Can I trust you?"

Ranma nodded her head in determination. "I'll do it. I'm not sure how, but I'll make up for this somehow. Martial artists are supposed to protect the weak, not harm them."

"You can start by taking Akane to the clinic." Ranma nodded again and gently picked up Akane. She walked out the door and softly levitated down the stairs in fear that too much rocking could be bad for the girl in her arms. She was still wearing the girl's clothes that she was trying on, but that hardly mattered at the moment.

Soun looked up from his newspaper to see the condition of his youngest daughter. He immediately stood up and ran towards Ranma. "Son, what happened to Akane?" He asked with a river of tears flowing down his face.

"It was just an accident father." Kasumi said from the top of the stairway. "Ranma is taking Akane to Dr Tofu. She'll be better in no time, so there's no need to worry." She smiled at Ranma.

Ranma smiled back and continued making her way out the door. Once outside, she took to the skies and flew towards Dr Tofu's clinic. She took great care in making sure she didn't accidentally turn into lightning while she was flying as she often did when she was in a hurry. She completely ignored any civilians who saw her fly by. Once she arrived at the clinic, she stopped flying and stepped inside. "Doc! Hey Doc! Akane needs help quick!"

Before she knew it, Dr Tofu rushed into the waiting room. "What seems to be the-oh my." He paused when he saw the state of his favorite patient. He gently took her out of Ranma's arms and stepped into the examination room. He placed her down on the bed and started checking her injuries. "These look like electrical burns. What happened to her? And just who are you?"

Ranma looked away shamefully. "It…it was all my fault Doc. It's me, Ranma."

A surprised look crossed the doctor's face. "Ranma? How did…never mind. We'll talk about this once I've taken care of Akane."

It took about half an hour for the doctor to treat the burns and bandage them up. When he finally finished, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and turned to Ranma, who had been waiting patiently. "She'll be just fine. She just needs time to heal up and she'll be back on her feet by tomorrow morning."

Ranma smiled. "Thanks Doc."

"Now that we have some time to ourselves, would you care to explain why you look like this?"

"Well, you may not believe me, but this is a curse I picked up in china a few months ago. It activates with cold water and reverses with hot water."

Dr Tofu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's right, I first met you in this form didn't I? So, this curse of yours turns you into a girl huh?"

"Not exactly. I turn into a nymph, a spirit of nature with great divine powers. Powers like…this." She held her hand out and created a crackling ball of electricity.

"So, you weren't kidding when you said YOU did this to Akane. But why…"

"It was an accident!" She replied quickly. "She got mad and started hitting me and I couldn't stop it. I don't know why, I just couldn't. I should've been able to control it!" She started rambling on about how worthless she was until Dr Tofu held his hand up.

"Calm down Ranma. Akane will be just fine and you didn't mean to harm her. Why don't you tell me more about your cursed form and tell me about some of your experiences in it. Maybe I'll be able to figure out why you couldn't control your power." Ranma nodded and started telling him about some of the things that happened in the past few months. When she finished, the doctor rubbed his chin again. "Interesting. From what you've told me, your body acts similar to an electric eel. Whenever it gets irritated or feels threatened, it will instinctively released a small jolt of electricity. Of course, eels don't care about who they hurt like you do. I'm sure you'll learn to control your power over time."

"Thanks Doc. I don't suppose you know anything about Jusenkyo or nymphs do you?"

Dr Tofu shook his head. "I can't say I do. I'll check some of my books to see if I can find anything, okay? For now, maybe you should go back to the Tendo's and tell them about Akane."

Ranma started looking downcast. "Yeah, I'm sure they'll be happy to know Akane's alright, but Akane herself is probably going to be pissed when she wakes up."

The doctor put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll have a nice, long chat with her when she wakes up."

"Thanks Doc, you really are the best." She turned around to leave.

"Hold on a moment Ranma. Before you leave, I'd like to take a blood sample of your nymph form. It would certainly help me get down to the bottom of your curse." Ranma agreed to his idea. The first sample he tried to take didn't work out so well. The moment he stuck the needle into her veins, he received a shock and immediately pulled his hand back. "It seems even your blood is electrified." He wore rubber gloves for his next attempt and successfully got the sample he wanted. "Thank you for dropping by Ranma. Have a nice day!" He called as she left.

"You too!" Ranma walked down the street and thought about the event that had just taken place. "I've really got to get these powers under control. I can't let something like that happen again." She was so lost in thought that she didn't take notice of the powerful presence that had just entered her range of sense. That presence came closer and closer to her at a fast pace. Ranma continued to obliviously stroll down the path until she felt something slam into her back and knock her over. She immediately hopped back to her feet. "Alright, who's the wise guy? Huh?"

Ranma blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing straight. Standing in front of her was a wolf with jet-black fur. As far as height went, he reached up to about Ranma's knees while standing on all fours. He had a piece of yellow and black cloth wrapped around his front right leg, making Ranma believe he must belong to someone. He growled at her for a few seconds, then stopped and looked at her curiously, as if he just realized who he was attacking. His green eyes stared at her like she was the wrong prey on his hunt.

While the wolf was staring at her, Ranma shrugged and kept walking. "Stupid dog. I swear, if I figure out who he belongs to, I'm going to have a few complaints." This comment seemed to anger the wolf. He started growling again in a 'take that back' kind of way. Ranma turned around to face him again. "You wanna start something Fido?" Her response was a bark from the canine. "Fine! Bring it on!"

The wolf charged forward at a speed that Ranma didn't expect, even from a predator like him. He leaped into the air and dove towards his target. Ranma sidestepped the attack and kicked the wolf before he touched down on the ground. He slammed into a brick wall and fell to the ground. Ranma turned around and started walking away with a smug expression on her face. "Looks like the fleabag didn't know what he was getting into. Guess that'll teach him."

But the wolf wasn't done fighting quite yet. He got back up and charged at Ranma while bearing his fangs and claws. Ranma sensed him coming and whirled around a second too late. She couldn't dodge the strike, so she brought up her arms in defense. The wolf bit her right arm while his claws bore into her right and left arms. Blood dripped out of the inflicted wounds. Unfortunately for the wolf, this blood was electrified. The beast howled in pain as it was shocked violently. He let go of her arms and attempted to stay standing while dealing with the pain.

Ranma stared at the blood dripping from her arms. She clenched her fists and glared at the wolf. "Grr. You're really pushing it Fido. I am NOT in a good mood right now. I suggest you scram before I start taking my stress out on you." Electricity was now being freely discharged from her body. Whether it was on purpose or instinct, even Ranma herself wasn't sure.

The wolf took several steps back before he turned tail and ran away. Ranma let out a sigh and slowly started charging down. "That was annoying." She took another look at her arms. She knew she should get them bandaged before she started spilling electrified blood everywhere, but she really didn't want to go back to the clinic. "Guess I'll just ask Kasumi if she has any bandages I can use."

When she got back to the dojo, she immediately went to the kitchen to find Kasumi preparing lunch. "Hey Kasumi, can I ask you something?"

Kasumi turned around to face her guest. "Yes Ranma, what is i-oh my!" She dropped the frying pan of food, which Ranma quickly caught and put back on the stove.

Ranma looked at the eldest Tendo sister sheepishly. "Can I have some bandages?"

(The next morning)

Ranma was doing something she barely ever did. She was eating her breakfast SLOWLY. She had spent all of the previous day and night in her nymph form for two reasons. First, her nymph form healed faster and she wanted to be able to take her bandages off as soon as possible. Second, she wanted to get her powers under control. This was something she couldn't do if she stayed a guy.

During mealtime, Ranma and her dad usually tried to steal food from each other for speed and reflex training, as well as just to have some extra food, but Genma knew better than to do anything that might anger his son while he was like this, so he left him alone…for now. Since Genma wasn't trying to steal her food, she had a chance to eat slowly for once. She used these moments to actually taste the food she ate. "This tastes great Kasumi!"

The chef of this meal smiled brightly at the nymph. "Thank you Ranma. I try my best. By the way, do you mind picking up Akane from the clinic? Dr Tofu called and he says she's recovered enough to go to school."

Ranma started looking uncomfortable, but she nodded her head. "Okay, I'll stop by there on my way to school."

"Thank you."

Soun was reading his newspaper intently when something caught his attention. "Hm, that's strange."

"What is it Tendo?" Genma asked.

"It seems there was a terrorist attack of some sort over in China." He explained. "Apparently a military base stationed in a forest was completely demolished. Whoever did it didn't leave any survivors, nor a trace of who they may be. The reporters believe it was some new type of weapon, but it looks more like a boulder ran straight through the place to me."

"Oh please Tendo, do you really think a boulder just came to life and attacked a military base? How ridiculous!" Genma dismissed.

"Yes, I suppose it was a rather foolish idea wasn't it?" He agreed. "In any case, let's be glad it was in China and not here in Japan."

"You said it Tendo." They both dropped the subject and continued their meal.

Ranma finished up her breakfast and headed out the door. She decided she would get some hot water at the clinic. As she was walking towards the clinic, she noticed a familiar presence following her. She turned around and saw the black wolf. He was standing on top of a nearby building and he appeared to be watching her. "Great, it's that dumb mutt again. What does he want?" She continued to mind her own business, hoping it would go away if she ignored it.

She made it about halfway to the clinic before she got sick of waiting for the wolf to go away, so she decided to turn into a lightning bolt to go the rest of the way. She didn't like turning into a bolt of lightning because it meant she had to go into the sky in order to travel without crashing into something by accident, and going into the sky means people might see her. She wanted to keep her nymph form a secret for as long as possible.

Trying to control herself as a bolt of lightning wasn't nearly as easy as it looked. She could slow herself down to roughly half the speed of lightning, but that was still much faster than she would like to go.

She made it to the clinic in about half a second. She turned back into solid mass and levitated the rest of the way down. She landed in front of the door and walked in. "Hey Doc! I'm here!" She immediately saw Akane sitting in the waiting room. The two met eyes for a second before awkwardly glancing away.

Dr Tofu walked in. "Oh good, you're here. Akane is healing nicely. She should be well enough to attend school, as long as she doesn't push herself. You won't, will you Akane?"

Akane blushed and looked away. "No Doctor, I won't"

The doctor nodded in satisfaction. "Good." He turned towards Ranma. "You make sure she keeps that promise okay?" Akane was about to protest about how she would keep it on her own, but Dr Tofu held his hand up. "Akane, I know how you are with the boys at school. I know you'll engage in a fight if you're challenged by Kuno or someone else. Taking it easy means no fighting, understand?"

Akane lowered her head. "Yes Doctor."

"By the way Ranma, why are your arms bandaged?"

"Oh, just got into a little fight. Nothing I couldn't handle of course." She took the bandages off to reveal that they were completely healed up.

"Wow. Your nymph form is something else. You're already completely healed up. You can get some hot water if you want. Have a good day at school."

"Thanks Doc."

Ranma got himself some hot water and left with Akane. Neither one of them looked at the other, nor did they speak to each other. They silently walked to school together until Ranma got splashed by the old lady again. "Oh come on! I just switched back!"

"Serves you right jerk." Akane muttered under her breath. Apparently, Ranma heard her though.

"Look, I'm sorry I shocked you okay?"

"Don't apologize. It's not like I'm going to forgive you." She grumbled.

Ranma crossed her arms. "Fine, don't forgive me. It WAS my fault for shocking you right? After all, I'M the one who got pissed off for no reason. I'M the one who gave myself this curse. It's MY fault all of this is happening to you right?"

Akane glared at her fiancé. "Just what do you want from me?!"

"What do I want? I WANT you to stop being such a heartless, self-centered, stupid, brat who thinks the whole world revolves around her and blames her problems on whoever's easiest to blame! THAT'S what I want!" Ranma stormed ahead towards the school, leaving her fiancé behind. Akane was too stunned by the sudden outburst to properly react, so she just watched as Ranma ran towards the school gates without her.

Ranma slowed down once she entered the school gates. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Dammit. Why have I been freaking out so much lately? I'm usually so calm and carefree when I'm like this." She looked around the courtyard. Some of the other students were staring at her, but she didn't really care much about that. "Where's Kuno? I could use a good punching bag right now." She gave up on looking for him and just went inside.

Up on the roof of a house outside of school grounds, the wolf was watching her once again. She was well aware of his presence, but didn't feel like dealing with it right now. She decided she'd deal with him if he was still around after school.

(Later)

After Ranma's outburst that morning, things had started to calm down a little. Akane hadn't talked to him since she arrived at school, she just ignored him and tried to avoid eye contact. It was now the end of class, the other students already left the room, so Ranma decided to try and patch things up with his fiancé. "Hey Akane. I'm sorry about shocking you yesterday, and about what I said this morning."

Akane just looked the other way. "Whatever."

"I'm trying to apologize here! The least you could do is look at me!"

"Keep your apologies. It's not like it actually hurt or anything." She denied smugly.

_'Says the girl who had to be rushed to the closest doctor.'_ He thought.

"Just forget about it, okay?" She started to walk away, but Ranma hopped onto a desk in front of her in a crouching position. He looked her in the eyes while rubbing his chin. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing." He said. "I just think you should wipe that frown off your face. It's depressing."

Akane crossed her arms. "I'll smile when I feel like it, not when you tell me to."

"That's a real shame. You're kinda cute when you smile you know." A blush crossed Akane's face and her eyes widened slightly. Ranma smirked and poked her in the forehead, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps. "Got ya."

She glared at Ranma and clenched her fist. "Why you…come here!" She started swinging her fists at Ranma, who easily avoided them. "Stop dodging!"

"But then you might actually hit me." Ranma slipped through her defenses and poked her forehead again, this time with enough force to make her fall on her butt.

She continued glaring at him and got to her feet. "I'll beat you someday."

"Yeah right. If you ever want a chance to beat me, you'll have to practice the art a lot more." Ranma walked towards the door of the classroom. He stopped at the doorway and glanced back at her. "In the meantime, you should try to practice smiling. I was serious about that frown of yours. Your face'll freeze if you keep glaring like that."

Akane blushed again._ 'Maybe I've been a little hard on him lately. He was just saying sorry.'_ She silently promised to be nicer to him from now on…as long as he didn't push it of course. She looked at the door he walked out of. "Hey! Wait for me!" She ran out into the hall and caught up with her fiancé. "Look I'm…sorry I was being mean to you earlier."

Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it." They both fell into an awkward silence as they walked through the halls.

Akane started feeling uncomfortable, so she tried bringing up a subject she had been curious about since earlier that morning. "So, how did you hurt your arms?"

"Some stupid dog bit me." He grumbled.

A smug smirk crossed Akane's features. "Oh? A little dog was able to catch you off guard?"

Ranma crossed his arms. "It was tough alright? It must've been trained by whoever it belonged to. It was a lot tougher than dogs should be, it was able to endure a good jolt of electricity and still have enough strength to run. Plus, it's been following me."

"Following you?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I noticed it this morning when I went to pick you up from the Doc's, and again before I stepped into the school."

"That's…kind of creepy." Akane said, uneasily.

"I'll take care of it today if it's still around, so it shouldn't be a problem much longer." The two walked out the front doors of the school. They made it about halfway to the gates before Ranma sensed danger. "Move!" He grabbed Akane and jumped out of the way of the weapon that came crashing down on the ground.

Akane struggled to break free from Ranma's grasp. "Let go of me you jerk!" Ranma put her down. "Good, now what's the big ide…" She paused when she saw the small crater created by the newcomer's assault. "Oh."

Once the dust cleared, they both got a good look at their attacker. He was a young man with short black hair, no older than sixteen or seventeen. He was wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt and black pants. He had a yellow and black bandana tied around his forehead like a headband. Oddly enough, the weapon he used to break the concrete ground was a simple bamboo umbrella. He looked at Ranma with a pair of green eyes, full of both great confidence and great rage. He stepped out of the crater. "I've finally found you Ranma." The evil smirk he had on his face revealed a pair of canine-like fangs in his teeth.

Akane looked at Ranma curiously. "You know this guy Ranma?"

Ranma put his hand to his lip as he mentally went over anyone him or his father might've pissed off over the years. "Um…I don't think so."

The newcomer glared death at him. "Don't play dumb Ranma! You know damn well what you did to me!"

"Okay…what did I do again?" Ranma asked cluelessly.

"You seriously don't remember me?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nope, but that bandana looks kind of familiar."

"So try to remember where you saw that bandana and you should remember who he is." Akane suggested.

"Okay, let's see. Where did I see it last?" He pondered it for a few seconds, then he snapped his fingers. "Aha!"

"You remember?" The boy asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I sure do. That bandana…" He pointed at the piece of cloth. "…looks just like the piece of cloth on that dog from earlier!"

Akane and the boy face faulted. So did some of the students who had gathered around the courtyard to watch. The boy glared at him. "It's a wolf, not a dog!"

"So it DOES belong to you!" Ranma accused. "That little furball of yours attacked me! You'd better start keeping that thing on a leash."

"So, it was him after all." He muttered under his breath, then Ranma's other comments clicked into his mind. "Hey!" The boy's face was red with rage. "He…doesn't belong to me!"

"Really? Does he belong to a friend of yours or…"

"He doesn't belong to anybody, alright?!" He shouted. "It's apparent you're not going to figure it out anytime soon, so let me spell it out for you. My name is Ryoga Hibiki, and I'm here to make your life a living hell Ranma!"

Ranma stared at him blankly. "…Why?"

"You really don't remember what you did do me?!"

"This isn't about the bread, is it?" Ranma asked.

"You two were fighting over bread?" Akane asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Back in middle school, we used to fight over who got the last loaf of bread for lunch, and I won every single time." Ranma explained.

"This isn't about bread Ranma! It's about how you skipped out on our man-to-man fight!" Ryoga yelled.

"Now what's he talking about?" Akane asked.

"Oh yeah! Eventually, he got so mad at me for getting the bread everyday, he challenged me to a fight."

"And you skipped out on it?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, after I waited for a whole three days. Ryoga's the one who didn't show up!"

"Don't flip this on me Ranma!" Ryoga snapped. "I DID show up! On the fourth day!" Everyone present just looked at him with a half-lidded stare.

Akane was the first to speak up. "Four days?" Ryoga nodded. "Was the meeting place really that far away from where you lived?"

"It was the empty lot behind his house." Ranma stated flatly.

Silence

"How can someone take four days to reach an empty lot behind their own house?"

"Back in middle school, Ryoga was known for having the worst sense of direction in the world. Me and a few other guys took turns taking him from home to school and back." Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Should've known he'd get lost on the day of our fight."

"Shut up! So I got a bit lost, the point is, you ditched out on our fight. I've seen hell while I was trying to track you down, and now I've finally found you." Another evil grin appeared on his face. "Now I'm going to destroy every last shred of happiness you have left in you." He charged forward and started swinging his umbrella in an attempt to hit Ranma.

Ranma dodged each swing flawlessly. He jumped back to gain some distance between them. "Look pal, if you want to settle our fight, then I'll be more than happy to have a match with you."

"This isn't about the fight anymore Ranma. Now it's about revenge!" He pulled out several bandanas from the one he usually wore and threw them. The pieces of cloth flew through the air like shuriken, slicing up nearby tree branches and even part of the ground.

Ranma was able to avoid them, but the students behind him screamed as they ran out of the way to avoid them. "Ryoga! Are you crazy? You could seriously hurt someone!"

Ryoga struck with his umbrella again. "Yeah, and that someone will be you!"

Ranma continued to avoid the strikes until he decided enough was enough. He slipped through Ryoga's defenses and kicked him in the face. "Listen pal, if you wanna fight, you're gonna have it in a match! Civilians could get hurt if you start swinging wildly."

Ryoga stumbled back from the kick, but otherwise, he was unharmed from the blow. "Fine! If it'll get you to take me seriously!, then I accept!"

Several minutes later, the two fighters decided to have their fight in the P.E. field. Many students were standing in the sidelines, eager to see if Ryoga could beat the new champion of Furinkan. Nabiki and her friends were taking bets on who would win. Once everything was set up, Nabiki stepped between the two martial artists. "Alright boys, let's have a clean fight. First down is the loser. Other than that, I don't really care what you do to win. Ready…Go!" She stepped back to let the chaos begin.

Ryoga wasted no time. He charged forward with his umbrella once again, and once again, Ranma avoided the strikes. "Hold still so I can clobber you!" He opened the umbrella and threw it. The weapon flew through the air just like his bandanas. Ranma ducked under it and continued to avoid Ryoga's barrage of punches.

Meanwhile, the umbrella fell harmlessly to the ground. Two boys walked over to it and tried to pick it up, but the tool wouldn't budge. "Geez, this thing must weigh a ton!"

Akane overheard them and decided to check it out herself. "Let me try." She mustered all the strength she could, but she only managed to lift it a few inches off the ground. "He carries this thing around with one hand? Just how strong is he?"

Back in the fight, Ryoga tried to hit Ranma with more of his bandana projectiles. The pigtailed boy avoided them and they kept flying, almost hitting a few of the students. _'He doesn't care who gets hurt in the crossfire! I'd better move this fight somewhere else.'_ Ranma ran over to the fence that surrounded the field. "Hey, Rocks-for-brains, you wanna fight, then follow me!" He jumped over the fence and Ryoga grabbed his umbrella before following after him.

"Come on! Let's follow them!" Nabiki shouted. Her and the crowd of students ran after them.

Ranma led Ryoga into a vacant backstreet. Once he decided this was a safe area, he stopped to engage in the fight again. "Come on Ryoga! Can't we talk about this? Maybe I could help you out if you just tell me what the problem is."

"There's nothing you can do for me Ranma!" He continued his assault, switching between using his umbrella and using his fists. He aimed a punch at Ranma's head, but the pigtailed boy ducked under it and he hit a streetlight instead. Cracks formed in the metal obstacle and it fell over a few seconds later.

Ranma did a backflip to get away from the fanged boy's next strike. "What is your problem?!"

"You want to know what my problem is Ranma?" He crouched down and lifted the streetlight with minimal strain. "It's you!" He swung it down on Ranma, who jumped out of the way. It hit the ground and the light part broke off, making it nothing more than a giant metal pole.

Ranma put his hands in front of him defensively. "Now hold on a minute! Can't we come to an agreement here?!"

Ryoga's only response was to swing at him again. "Die!" Ranma dodged and ran from Ryoga's rampage until they made it to a nearby park. Ryoga had swung around his makeshift weapon so much, it was merely a big metal stump now. The fanged boy swung his metal stump and Ranma jumped onto a nearby tree branch to avoid it. The sharp, broken edges of the stump didn't hit Ranma, but it cut the front of his Chinese shirt.

"Hey! That was my favorite shirt you jerk!" He yelled.

"You're complaining about your clothes? Stop being such a girl!" Ryoga mocked.

This statement hit a nerve for Ranma. "Take that back Ryoga!" He jumped forward and aimed a kick at Ryoga, who held up his stump in defense. The kick impacted with the metal and demolished it on contact. "I said take it back!" He aimed another jump kick. Ryoga dodged it and Ranma hit the ground. When his kick hit the ground, it accidentally hit an underground water pipe.

Water splashed everywhere. Ryoga quickly pulled out his umbrella to block the water, Ranma was hit directly. When the water stopped, Ryoga saw a blonde girl with a scarf standing where his opponent had been. The girl punched him in the face. "Take it back you jerk!"

The punch pushed Ryoga back a few feet. He just smirked. "Why should I? You look like a girl to me."

"What're you-ah!" She put an arm over her chest to cover up the cut that was exposing part of her chest.

At that moment, Akane caught up with them. "Ranma! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just got a tear on my shirt." She turned back towards Ryoga. "Well? You know my secret now. You happy jerk? You don't know how much trouble this curse causes me on a daily basis."

The bandana-clad boy just scoffed. "Pfft. I already knew about your little 'secret' Ranma. Let me tell you something, if you think having a beautiful body like that is a curse, then you don't know the meaning of trouble!" He threw some more bandanas at Ranma.

Ranma grabbed Akane around the waist and jumped out of the way. "Dammit Ryoga! What's your problem? Can't you see how much trouble you're causing?"

I don't care as long as it means taking my revenge!" He threw more of his projectiles at Ranma.

The nymph avoided them by jumping into a high up branch with Akane still in her arms. "Let go of me!" She yelled.

"If I do that, then there's a good chance you could get cut in half."

"Then just get down there and fight him!"

"If I fight him, I could lose control and zap him to death!"

"Well do something!"

From down below, Ryoga removed his black belt. "Are you done arguing with your girlfriend, or am I going to have to break you two up?" With a flick of his wrist, the belt became solid, like a sword. He swung it and cut the tree clean in half.

Ranma was starting to get irritated. She had to fight to keep her electricity under control. "You moron! I could seriously hurt you if you keep this up!" She jumped over to another tree.

"Why don't you go down there and zap him?" Akane asked. "He's trying to kill you! If you'd rather run than fight, then you really are a coward!"

"Stop ignoring me!" Ryoga cut down the next tree. This time, Ranma jumped down towards the ground.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to accidentally kill a guy!" She shouted at Akane. "It's hard enough to control my powers without your constant nagging!"

Once Ranma touched the ground, Akane slapped her in the face, causing the nymph to let go of her. "If I'm causing you so much trouble…then I'll leave! Will THAT make you happy?" She started running away from her fiancé.

Ranma reached out a hand. "Hey, hold on a sec will you!"

While she was distracted, Ryoga tried to hit her with his belt from behind. "I have you now!"

Ranma whirled around and kicked the belt out off his hand. "Buzz off!" She delivered another kick to his stomach, knocking him to his back. It was at that moment that she noticed the belt she had kicked. It was flying through the air, straight towards Akane's head. "Dammit, no time." She ran towards her, but she knew she wouldn't reach her in time.

She was going to use her powers to reach her, but then she realized the other students had arrived on the scene._ 'You owe me for this tomboy!'_ She stopped running and flew to close the distance between them. She slammed into Akane from behind, knocking the girl forward half a second before the blade passed through the spot her head just was. However it did slice through her long blue hair.

Akane pushed Ranma off of herself and glared at her. "You jerk! What was that-" She paused in shock once she saw her blue hair fall to the ground. She brought a hand up behind her head to confirm the truth she didn't want to believe.

By this time, the rest of the crowd caught up with them. A few of Akane's friends gasped in shock. "Oh my gosh! What happened to your hair Akane?"

Ranma waved a hand in front of her face. When she didn't get a reaction, she tapped Akane's forehead a few times. Still no reaction. "I think she's in shock."

"Of course she is!" Once of Akane's friends said. "I would be too if I was caught in public with a hairstyle like that! You're a girl too, you should know how she feels!"

Once she was reminded of her current gender, Ranma put her arm over her chest again. "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, my hair is short and I don't have a problem with it. She's lucky it was her hair and not her head."

"Just what kind of girl are you?" Another one of them asked.

One of the boys spoke up. "For that matter, what kind of human being are you? I swear you were flying just now." A few of the other students nodded their heads.

Ranma scratched the back of her head nervously. "Um…well…you see…"

Her thinking process was cut off when a strong hand grabbed her arm. "We aren't done yet!" Ryoga pulled his arm back to punch her, but Ranma struck him in the face first.

"Will you mind your own business for once?!" She grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder and into the nearby fountain. She looked back at Akane and held out a hand. "Listen Akane, why don't we go back to your house and have Kasumi even out your hair, kay?"

Akane mindlessly nodded her head and grabbed hold of the offered hand. They both walked away from the park towards home. Meanwhile, the crowd of students were left dumbfounded. "So, what now?" One of them asked.

Nabiki stepped in front of the crowd. "Alright guys, nothing left to see here. The fight had no conclusion, so just scatter and go about with your business." Everyone did just that. Not one person noticed the figure that rose out of the fountain.

Ryoga was growling with rage. _'Damn that coward! I swear I'll get my revenge one way or another. You haven't seen the last of me!'_ He ran off to find where he left his traveling pack. It would be useless to confront him right now, so he decided to track him to his house and attack later.

End of Chapter

Well there you go, chapter four. The updates are going to be slowing down a little bit. Mostly because an author friend of mine want's me to get off my lazy butt and work on some of my other stories. I'll try to get chapter five written up as soon as possible. See ya!


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